{"id":1483,"date":"2025-12-17T10:09:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T07:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/?p=1483"},"modified":"2025-12-17T10:09:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-17T07:09:12","slug":"atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/","title":{"rendered":"Atrophic Rhinitis (Ozaena): What Is It, What Causes It, How Is It Treated?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">\u0130ndex<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#What_Is_Atrophic_Rhinitis\" >What Is Atrophic Rhinitis?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Key_features_of_atrophic_rhinitis\" >Key features of atrophic rhinitis:<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Epidemiology_and_Causes\" >Epidemiology and Causes<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Primary_Atrophic_Rhinitis\" >Primary Atrophic Rhinitis<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Secondary_Atrophic_Rhinitis\" >Secondary Atrophic Rhinitis<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Symptoms\" >Symptoms<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#How_Is_It_Diagnosed\" >How Is It Diagnosed?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Treatment_Approach\" >Treatment Approach<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Conservative_Medical_and_Care_Treatment\" >Conservative (Medical and Care) Treatment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Topical_Antibiotic_Treatment\" >Topical Antibiotic Treatment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Surgical_Treatment\" >Surgical Treatment<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Youngs_Procedure\" >Young&#8217;s Procedure<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/atrophic-rhinitis-ozaena-what-is-it-what-causes-it-how-is-it-treated\/#Disease_Course_Prognosis\" >Disease Course (Prognosis)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_Atrophic_Rhinitis\"><\/span>What Is Atrophic Rhinitis?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Atrophic rhinitis, also known in the literature as <strong>ozaena<\/strong>, <strong>dry rhinitis<\/strong>, or <strong>empty nose syndrome (open nose syndrome)<\/strong>, is a rare but severely quality-of-life-impairing <strong>chronic nasal disease<\/strong> characterized by progressive thinning (<strong>atrophy<\/strong>) of the nasal mucosa and underlying bone tissue.<\/p>\n<p>In this condition, the nasal cavities are significantly wider than normal. Despite this, patients often describe a <strong>sensation of nasal obstruction<\/strong>. This is defined as <strong>paradoxical nasal obstruction<\/strong>, which develops due to disruption of the physiological structure of intranasal airflow and altered sensory perception.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_features_of_atrophic_rhinitis\"><\/span>Key features of atrophic rhinitis:<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Severe nasal dryness<\/li>\n<li>Thick and hard crusting<\/li>\n<li>Foul-smelling nasal discharge (fetor)<\/li>\n<li>Burning sensation and tenderness inside the nose<\/li>\n<li>Gradual decrease in sense of smell over time<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Epidemiology_and_Causes\"><\/span>Epidemiology and Causes<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The exact cause of atrophic rhinitis is still not clearly known today.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Primary_Atrophic_Rhinitis\"><\/span>Primary Atrophic Rhinitis<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In the past, the disease was thought to be associated with the <strong>Klebsiella ozaenae<\/strong> bacterium, and an infectious origin was considered primary. Today, this condition is classified as <strong>primary atrophic rhinitis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>It is more commonly seen in:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Hot climates<\/li>\n<li>Developing countries<\/li>\n<li>Younger age groups<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Factors thought to potentially play a role in the development of the disease:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Developmental anomalies<\/li>\n<li>Endocrine disorders<\/li>\n<li>Circulatory problems<\/li>\n<li>Nutritional deficiencies<\/li>\n<li>Autoimmune diseases<\/li>\n<li>Genetic predisposition<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>None of these factors have been definitively proven with strong scientific evidence alone.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Secondary_Atrophic_Rhinitis\"><\/span>Secondary Atrophic Rhinitis<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This is the <strong>more commonly encountered form<\/strong> in current clinical practice. The most important causes include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Excessive and aggressive turbinate surgery<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Nasal trauma<\/li>\n<li>Granulomatous diseases (e.g., Wegener&#8217;s granulomatosis)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cocaine use<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Mucosal damage following radiotherapy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this group, the disease generally <strong>follows a more severe course<\/strong>, and a detailed surgical history is of great importance for diagnosis.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Symptoms\"><\/span>Symptoms<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The most common complaints in atrophic rhinitis:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Foul-smelling nasal discharge<\/li>\n<li>Heavy crusting<\/li>\n<li>Intranasal dryness<\/li>\n<li>Easy bleeding<\/li>\n<li>Feeling of blockage despite an open nose<\/li>\n<li>Disturbing odor problem in social life<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In advanced stages:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Septal perforation<\/strong> may develop<\/li>\n<li>Collapse of the nasal bridge (<strong>saddle nose deformity<\/strong>) may occur<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Is_It_Diagnosed\"><\/span>How Is It Diagnosed?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Diagnosis is largely made through <strong>clinical evaluation<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Primary diagnostic methods:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Detailed patient history<\/li>\n<li>Anterior and posterior rhinoscopy<\/li>\n<li>Endoscopic nasal examination<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the presence of foul-smelling discharge:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Nasal culture<\/strong> is taken to identify the causative microorganism and antibiotic sensitivity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When necessary:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Computed tomography (CT)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>are used to evaluate the paranasal sinuses.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Treatment_Approach\"><\/span>Treatment Approach<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Treatment of atrophic rhinitis is a <strong>long-term, patience-requiring, and gradual<\/strong> process.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conservative_Medical_and_Care_Treatment\"><\/span>Conservative (Medical and Care) Treatment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The foundation of treatment always consists of <strong>non-surgical methods<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Regular nasal irrigation<\/li>\n<li>Gentle removal of crusts<\/li>\n<li>Moisturizing nasal gels and ointments<\/li>\n<li>Mucosa-protective topical agents<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In advanced stages:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Drops containing 50% glucose + glycerin<\/strong> may help reduce crusting and foul odor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Topical_Antibiotic_Treatment\"><\/span>Topical Antibiotic Treatment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Topical antibiotics are <strong>not routinely used in every patient<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>However, in the presence of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Foul-smelling discharge<\/li>\n<li>Clinical signs of infection<\/li>\n<li>Sometimes pathogen growth in culture<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>topical antibiotic drops or irrigations selected according to antibiogram<\/strong> (e.g., preparations containing gentamicin) may be used <strong>for short-term and controlled periods<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Topical antibiotic therapy is <strong>suitable for selected cases with infection exacerbation<\/strong>; it is not a treatment for dryness and crusting alone.<\/p>\n<p>In some patients with accompanying intense inflammation:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Topical steroid + antibiotic combinations<\/strong> may be preferred for short-term use.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Surgical_Treatment\"><\/span>Surgical Treatment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Today, surgical treatment for atrophic rhinitis is considered <strong>very rarely and only in selected severe cases<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The most well-known surgical method:<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Youngs_Procedure\"><\/span>Young&#8217;s Procedure<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Nasal openings are <strong>temporarily closed<\/strong> with flaps prepared from vestibular skin<\/li>\n<li>Time is allowed for the nasal mucosa to recover<\/li>\n<li>The nose can be reopened months later<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Purpose:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>To reduce intranasal airflow<\/li>\n<li>To support mucosal healing<\/li>\n<li>To reduce dryness and foul odor<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Today, it is <strong>applied with limited indications<\/strong> due to its effects on patient tolerance and quality of life.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Disease_Course_Prognosis\"><\/span>Disease Course (Prognosis)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The course of atrophic rhinitis varies from person to person.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In some patients, symptoms may spontaneously improve <strong>by middle age<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>In some cases, <strong>lifelong follow-up and care<\/strong> may be required<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Early diagnosis<\/strong>, <strong>regular nasal care<\/strong>, and <strong>proper treatment selection<\/strong> are the most important factors in controlling the disease.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Is Atrophic Rhinitis? Atrophic rhinitis, also known in the literature as ozaena, dry rhinitis, or empty nose syndrome (open nose syndrome), is a rare but severely quality-of-life-impairing chronic nasal disease characterized by progressive thinning (atrophy) of the nasal mucosa and underlying bone tissue. In this condition, the nasal cavities are significantly wider than normal. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ent-diseases"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1483","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1483"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1483\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1486,"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1483\/revisions\/1486"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1483"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1483"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gedizserin.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1483"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}