Throat Disorders—Nose Injuries and Disorders

Also called: Nasal disorders

Your nose is important to your health. It filters the air you breathe, removing dust, germs, and irritants. It warms and moistens the air to keep your lungs and tubes that lead to them from drying out. Your nose also contains the nerve cells that help your sense of smell. When there is a problem with your nose, your whole body can suffer. For example, the stuffy nose of the common cold can make it hard for you to breathe, sleep, or get comfortable.

Many problems besides the common cold can affect the nose. They include

• Deviated septum – a shifting of the wall that divides the nasal cavity into halves
• Nasal polyps – soft growths that develop on the lining of your nose or sinuses
• Nosebleeds
• Rhinitis – inflammation of the nose and sinuses sometimes caused by allergies. The main symptom is a runny nose.
• Nasal fractures, also known as a broken nose

• Choanal atresia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Foreign body in the nose (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Nasal endoscopy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Nasal fracture – aftercare (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Nasal polyps (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Nose fracture (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Nosebleed (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Stuffy or runny nose – adult (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Stuffy or runny nose – children (Medical Encyclopedia)

Also called: Pharyngeal disorders

Your throat is a tube that carries food to your esophagus and air to your windpipe and larynx. The technical name for your throat is the pharynx.

Throat problems are common. You’ve probably had a sore throat. The cause is usually a viral infection, but other causes include allergies, infection with strep bacteria or the leaking of stomach acids back up into the esophagus, called GERD.

Other problems that affect the throat include

• Tonsillitis – inflammation of the tonsils
• Cancer
• Croup – inflammation, usually in small children, which causes a barking cough
• Laryngitis – swelling of the voice box, which can cause a hoarse voice or loss of voice

Most throat problems are minor and go away on their own. Treatments, when needed, depend on the problem.

• Blockage of upper airway (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Epiglottitis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Herpangina (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Laryngitis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Laryngoscopy (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Retropharyngeal abscess (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Strep throat (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Throat swab culture (Medical Encyclopedia)