Histopathological Patterns of Nasal Polyps in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Hospital-Based Study

Abstract
Background: Nasal polyps are benign lesions that arise from the mucosa of the nasal cavity or the mucosa of nasal sinuses. Its exact etiology remains obscure. They are often bilateral and multiple, with tendency to recur. They constitute a challenge for physicians regarding its diagnosis and treatment. There are several conditions which are commonly associated with nasal polyposis, e.g., bronchial asthma and bronchiectasis.
Aim of Study: To determine the various histopathological types of nasal polyps specimens of Saudi patients who under-went surgery at Khamis Mushayt General Hospital in Aseer Region, Saudi Arabia.
Patients and Methods: Following a retrospective, hospital files-based study of 121 patients who underwent surgery to remove nasal polyps at Khamis Mushayt General Hospital during the period from 2012 to 2017, whose diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination. A special data collection sheet was designed by the researchers to collect patients' data from their hospital files. It included patients' personal data, i.e., gender and age, and disease-related data, i.e., laterality, recurrence, and histopathology type.
Results: More than half of patients (58.7%) were males. Their mean age was 38.2±14.6 years. The majority of patients (81.8%) had bilateral nasal polyps. Nasal polyps were recurrent in 33.1% of patients. The main histopathological features of patients' nasal polyps were edematous including eosinophils (61.2%) or fibro-inflammatory polyps (30.6%). Rare histo-pathological types included angiectatic (3.3%), glandular (2.5%), cystic (1.7%) and atypical stroma (0.8%).
Conclusions: Nasal polyps among patients in Aseer Region are more common among middle-aged men. It is mainly bilateral with high recurrence rate. Their most frequent histo-pathological features are the "edematous including eosinophils" or "fibro-inflammatory" types. Histopathological examination of a removed nasal polyp is frequently essential to provide the actual diagnosis.