New medical treatment for blocked noses

People who have persistent blocked noses are being offered a new hospital treatment.

Patients with an inflammatory condition known as chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) are being given a new injectable therapy.

CRSwNP has a major impact on people's lives, causing persistent nasal blockage, loss of taste and smell, recurrent infections and significant impact on sleep and day-to-day life, Hull University Teaching Hospitals said.

The new treatment called Dupilumab has only been approved for NHS use in England since February.

Helena Cummings, a senior respiratory nurse specialist, said the new treatment would "allow the underlying disease to be treated and quality of life for patients to be improved."

"Before we introduced this biologic therapy, patients with CRSwNP didn't have access to these drugs. Instead, they had to take oral steroids which don't come without the risk of side effects," she said.

"But this is a revolutionary medicine which can have a transformative impact on patients' lives and, nationally, we're one of the first NHS organisations to start prescribing and using it."

Patients with CRSwNP undergo an assessment by specialists at Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham and if they meet the criteria are prescribed Dupilumab to self-administer at home by injection.

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