The Study
Table 3: Comparison of total turbinate volume between the type of hypertrophy in study groups.
This study looked at pictures of people’s noses and found that when the wall inside the nose is crooked, the fleshy parts next to it tend to be bigger. But it doesn’t prove the crooked wall made them bigger — they might have been big for other reasons.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
When the wall between your nostrils is bent, the fleshy parts inside your nose (turbinates) often grow bigger to compensate — especially if the bend is severe or only one side is swollen.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 544 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — larger turbinates can block airflow, causing breathing problems, so this helps explain why some people with crooked septums have worse nasal obstruction.
- 2Turbinates averaged 5,347 mm³ with both a bent septum and swelling, 4,355 mm³ with swelling alone, and 3,228 mm³ with neither.
- 3Bigger bend = bigger turbinates (r = 0.52).
- 4One-sided swelling was bigger than two-sided (5,428 vs 5,092 mm³).
- 5Age and sex didn’t matter.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Related Content
Claims (4)
People with a crooked nasal septum and swollen inner nose tissues have bigger swollen tissues on both sides of their nose than people with just swollen tissues or no issues at all — suggesting that a crooked septum might make the swelling worse.
When the wall between your nostrils is more crooked, the fleshy parts inside your nose tend to be bigger — and this connection isn't super strong, but it's noticeable.
Whether someone is older or younger, male or female, doesn’t really change the size of the bony structures inside their nose — so doctors don’t need to worry about age or sex when measuring swollen nasal tissues.
When the wall between your nostrils is bent badly (more than 15 degrees), the fleshy part inside your nose tends to be bigger—but if it’s only slightly or moderately bent, the size doesn’t change much. It’s like there’s a tipping point where things suddenly get bigger.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.