Bad Smell in Nose, Causes and Treatment

Shabnam Mehra December 19, 2023

0 449 4 minutes read

Wondering where that funny smell is coming from? Turning around to see if somebody broke wind? Maybe someone is sheepishly smiling about their bean breakfast?

But, wait!

You turn around, only to find everyone diligently glued to their screens, busy tapping on those keyboards. Not bothered the least, by the smell that caused you to wrinkle up your nose!

My friend, you might be the source here.

I am not saying you are geriatric and unconsciously your anal canal gave way to methane.

And there is nothing to worry about!

Nearly, 3 – 6 million Americans are afflicted by the same of our following them everywhere.

You just need to find your way to an ENT specialist.

Till then, here are some of the possible reasons for the funky smell that has been hounding you for days, maybe weeks, until you decided to finally Google it.

Top 10 Reasons for a Bad Smell in Nose

1. Foreign Objects

Reason:

When you keep on following your nasal cavity, you will find that your nose is connected to your mouth (nasopharynx).

And guys, there is a fair chance that if you had regurgitated your food, some food particle, tiny as it may be, might still be stuck in the nasopharynx.

Bacteria acting on the residual food particle might be giving off the foul smell.

Or some recent trauma may have caused some foreign particle to lodge in your nasal cavity.

Have you recently taken a fall? Have you been struck with something near your nose?.

Treatment:

Do not try to pluck it out, as it might only push it in deeper into the cavity.
Try to blow your nose, it might help in dislodging it.
If everything fails. Contact a medical practitioner.

2. Post-Nasal Drip

Reason:

So, we all remember from our school textbooks, that our mucus lining lubricates our nasal tract. In case of a cold, the drip might start falling into your throat. Giving you a sore throat.

The reason for the overproduction of mucus might be a nasal infection or sinusitis. You need to get it checked by a doctor if it is not common flu.

And rich in proteins, this is the playground of bacteria. Feeding on it and giving off the stench!

Treatment:

One of the most simple ways is to try to thin the mucus layer by warming it up with humidifiers and blowing your nose.
Or eating some good old chicken soup while catching up on some Netflix.
Next step would be some nasal spray, most contain decongestants. Though they might ease out your woes initially, decongestants tend to have the ‘rebound’ effect and might worsen the situation.

Particularly those containing Benzalkonium.

3. Sinusitis

Reason:

Clogged sinuses can cause uneasy pressure building up in your face and forehead. This is the perfect moist, humid environment craved by the bacteria.

Multiplying from innocent hundreds to thousands and eventually millions. Now, your body wants to help you. So, the autoimmune response kicks in!

Your mucus glands shift to full throttle, flooding your throat with mucus. More mucus. More protein. More food. More bacteria.

Treatment:

Over the counter medication to thin out the mucus membrane might help.
If this problem relentlessly pursues into it’s third week, time to visit an ENT specialist.

4. Nasal Polyps

Reason:

If you have been a victim of countless nasal infections, there is fair chance you might develop growth in your mucus membrane – nasal polyps.

Now, no need to worry. These are non- cancerous!

Just a membrane irritated by being continuously assailed by bacteria and no time to heal.

Treatment:

Steroids: the doctor might prescribe a combination of steroid (spray or tablet) with nasal drops to get the inflammation down.But beware, steroids come with their own set of side effects!
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Nosebleed
- Weight gain
Other Medication: Antibacterial- bacterial infection, Antihistamine- Allergies, Anti- Fungal for Fungal infection.
Surgery: If you had no respite from the above and have large polyps plus difficulty in breathing that has affected your quality of life, you might have to recourse to surgery.

5. Ozena or Empty Nose Syndrome

Reason:

It is kind of a medical mystery with the exact cause unknown. Your mucus membrane and nerves start pulling away from the bone. Hence, aptly termed Empty Nose Syndrome or Atrophic Rhinitis.

Three causes for Atrophic Rhinitis have been identified so far:

Primary Ozena has been identified to be caused by Klebsiella ozaenae.
Secondary Ozena is known to be caused by specific infections, such as syphilis, lupus, leprosy and rhinoscleroma, causing destruction of the nasal structures leading to atrophic changes.
Third cause for Ozena is when your diet lacks Vitamin A & Vitamin D.

If left untreated, the bad smell might lead your friends to start pulling away from you, similar to halitosis. This can eventually lead to depression.

Now, we don’t want that, do we? So, let’s look at some treatment options.

Treatment:

For starters, one needs to get diagnosed whether they have primary or secondary Ozena or simple vitamin deficiency. Based on which the doctor would chart the course of action.
But you will have to maintain nasal hygiene and some of the suggested ways are:
- Cleaning your nose: One- fourth part glycerine can be applied to inhibit the growth of bacteria any further.
- Daily nasal irrigations with normal or hypertonic saline (maximum of 200 ml lavage for each nares).

6. Rhinoscleroma

Reason:

Do you hail from the tropics or have recently flown to the African continent lately?

Because Rhinoscleroma is usually considered to be a tropical disease, believed to be endemic to Africa and Central America, and is less common in the United States.

It is a chronic disease, where Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis (bacteria) causes stony growths to develop in the upper respiratory tract.

Treatment:

Treatment should also include long-term antimicrobial therapy and surgical intervention might be required in patients with symptoms of obstruction.
Bacterial over infection responds to treatment with third-generation cephalosporins and clindamycin.

7. Tonsilloliths

Reason:

Now, this is just bad timing!

Post nasal drip + Tonsil might be = Tonsil Stones/Tonsilloliths

Now, post nasal drip leads to mucus collecting near your throat + food particles + bacteria + chronic tonsillitis leads to the horrible pain and the foul smell.

What to do? How to treat it?

Treatment:

Gargle with hot water and salt to loosen the thickened mucus, to clear up post nasal drip. Whereas, for tonsil stones one can with the help of the machine called Waterpik massage the area where the tonsil stones are present and help them to pop out.
Surgery is the last option that can resort when they are not getting the best results with the help of home remedies and the medications.

8. Adenoiditis

Reason:

Inflammation of Adenoids- the lymph nodes found in nasopharynx, the passage behind our nostrils.

What causes the inflammation?

Adenoiditis can be caused by a bacterial infection, such as infection with the bacteria Streptococcus. It can also be caused by a number of viruses, including Epstein-Barr virus, adenovirus, and rhinovirus.

Now the smell, what has inflammation got anything to do with it?

Well, the inflamed adenoids, clog the throat, providing a nice, moist and humid closed space for the infamous bacteria.

They feed on the tiny bits of food breaking them down into sulphur compounds and hence the odour.

Treatment:

The use of antibiotics often proves successful in treating inflamed adenoidal tissue. If a virus caused your adenoiditis, your doctor will put you on a treatment plan that is specific to the virus.
If medication doesn’t prove useful, surgery to remove your adenoids may also be an option then- adenoidectomy.