Q: My brother aged 28 has a problem with his nose. Some 5 years ago, the doctor diagnosed it as bilateral ethmoidal polyps. He did a surgery, Ethmoidal polypectomy under local anaesthesia. Now he is having the same problem again. What is the cause for the problem? Is there any permanent cure for this? Fluid comes out from his nose, which has a foul smell. He finds it difficult to breathe through the nose.

A:Your brother has allergic nasal polyposis. It has high incidence of recurrence. The cause of this is mainly allergy. Mainstay of treatment is medical in the form of nasal sprays but when patient has extensive polyps it may require surgery to open the passages and also for better delivery of drugs. Even after surgery, follow up is must so that medical treatment can be started at the earliest to avoid repeated surgeries.