swelling on neck
I am 55. Recently I discovered a swelling in the left side of my neck. Although painless, it doesn’t seem to be a simple abscess. Is it something to worry about?
Neck swellings shouldn’t be ignored. It may be due to some infection like tuberculosis, or due to some benign growth of tissue. It may even be due to malignancy. You should see an ENT specialist. An examination of the swelling as well as your throat is needed. It should be followed by a test called fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in which a sample of tissue from the abscess is investigated. Treatment should be carried out according to the results of those tests.
asal discharge
I am a 35-year-old housewife. For the past six months I’ve been suffering from watery discharge from my nose. The discharge is spontaneous ? there has been no injury or trauma. Please suggest a remedy.
If the discharge is coming out from a side from your nose, and there is no history of sneezing, itching and nasal congestion, it’s possible that it’s coming out from the brain. It’s a condition known as cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhoea. The discharge should be analysed, and if it’s confirmed to be coming out from the brain, a CT scan should be done to determine the origin of the discharge. Treatment should be carried out accordingly. However, if the discharge originates from both the sides of the nose and there is history of sneezing, itching and nasal obstruction, it’s probably a nasal allergy. In this case, treatment should be carried out using anti-allergic medicines.
hoarse voice
I’m a 50-year-old advocate. All of a sudden my voice has gone hoa-rse. I’m a smoker for the past two decades. A physician has suggested investigations related to the throat. Is my problem a complicated one?
Probably you’re suffering from a benign swelling of the vocal cord. The treatment is a simple excision of the swelling. However, if the voice condition has worsened with time, investigations should be done to rule out malignancy. If the tests reveal that as the cause, the treatment will depend on its stage. The outcome of treatment is usually good for vocal cord cancer.
cold and allergy
I’m a 15-year-old student. I’ve a swelling inside of my nasal cavity which causes obstruction to breathing. I also suffer from recurrent attacks of common cold and allergy throughout the year. Will you suggest a remedy?
As you are just 15, and there is no history of bleeding from nose, it seems that you’re suffering either from a nasal polyp or an enlarged nasal turbinate (small bones in the passage). Whatever may be the case, it seems allergy is responsible for these swellings. For a proper investigation, an x-ray of the nose and sinuses should be done first. If necessary a CT scan may also be done. In case of a polyp, the preferred treatment is surgery. However, sometimes for small polyps medical treatment may also be needed. After surgery, follow-up should be done with a long-term anti-allergic treatment. In case of an enlarged nasal turbina-te, anti-allergic treatment should be carried out. And if there is no result, surgery may be considered.
swelling in nose
I’m a 40-year-old housewife. I’ve been suffering from diabetes for 10 years. For the past couple of months, I’m having a black swell-ing inside the nose; it’s associated with a discharge. I met a doctor, but the treatment yielded no benefit. Will you please help?
It appears that the swelling is a tumour, or a nasal polyp, or a swelling associated with a chronic fungal infection. As you’re suffering from diabetes, it’s more likely that the swelling is due to a fungal infection (fungal granuloma). A CT scan of the nose and sinus should be done to investigate the case. If required, biopsy may also be carried out. Treatment in all the conditions discussed is surgical excision of the swelling. You should see an ENT surgeon.
YOUR HEALTH
We invite readers’ queries on health problems. Eminent doctors will respond to them in this column every week. Mail your letters to:
KnowHOW, The Telegraph, 6, Prafulla Sarkar Street, Calcutta 700 001
email: knowhow@abpmail.com
