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The human nose has many different functions, so its structure is also complicated. The nose consists of both cartilage structures and numerous bones. The nose, among other things, heats and cleans the air we breathe, and is also responsible for the perception of smells or even … tastes. The functions of the nose are sometimes disturbed when the patient suffers from diseases affecting this area of the body - what are the most common diseases of the nose?
The nose , located in the central part of the face, is considered by many people to be one of the main factors determining human beauty.
The general outline of the nose is similar in every human being, its exact appearance is in turn an individual feature, depending, among others, on from the inherited genes - this is why some of us have larger noses, while others have definitely smaller noses.
Sometimes the appearance of the nose is an extremely troubling aspect - in such situations it is not uncommon that it is not uncommon that it is planned to undergo an operation that changes the appearance of the nose.
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However, the shape or size of the nose is definitely less important than the functions of this organ - and, contrary to appearances, there are a lot of them.
Nose: structure
The structure of the nose is actually much more complicated than you might imagine.
What we see at first glance is the so-calledouter nose . It has a root (located at the top of the nose), a shaft and a tip. The outer nose is covered with skin, but it is made up of numerous cartilages and bones.
The structure of the inner nose(or actually - more correctly - the nasal cavity) is even more complex.
This space is limited by the inner surface of the outer nose and numerous facial bones.
The nasal cavity consists of the so-called The proper nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, which include the frontal, maxillary and sphenoid sinuses, and ethmoid cells.
At the front, the nasal cavity opens with the front nostrils, while at the back - through the posterior nostrils and the nasopharyngeal canal - it connects to the nasopharynx.
The nasal septum in the nasal cavity divides it into two parts.
This partition consists of a cartilage part and the so-called share and bladevertical ethmoid bone.
The upper wall of the nasal cavity is made up of the frontal, nasal, ethmoid and sphenoid bones.
The lower wall consists of the palatine bone and the palatal process of the maxilla.
Medially the nasal cavity is limited by the bony part of the nasal septum, while the lateral wall of the nasal cavity is formed by the ethmoid labyrinth, the frontal process of the maxilla and its shaft, the lacrimal bone and the palatine bone and part of the winged process of the sphenoid bone.
Nose: innervation and vascularization
The nasal cavity is arterially vascularized by the branches of the ophthalmic artery (which gives off the anterior ethmoid arteries and the posterior ethmoid arteries) and by the maxillary artery branches (the wedge-palatal artery departing from it within the nasal cavity, giving back lateral posterior nasal arteries and arteries nasal posterior septum).
These vessels have numerous connections to these arteries that supply the outer nose, facial structures, or the eye socket.
Venous blood from the structures of the nasal cavity flows into the anterior and posterior ethmoid veins, and from there into the superior ophthalmic vein. Another organism to which venous blood flows from the nasal passages is the wing plexus.
Lymph from the nasal cavity passes to the retropharyngeal and submandibular lymph nodes.
The innervation of the nasal cavity comes from the branch of the fifth cranial nerve - the trigeminal nerve.
These nerves are the optic nerve and the maxillary nerve, which lead to the nasal cavity sensory nerve fibers and autonomic (sympathetic and parasympathetic) fibers.
Nose: functions
The nose is the first place where the air we breathe goes (as long as we breathe through it, not through our mouth, of course).
It's definitely not that the nasal cavity is just an insignificant stop on the path of the air to the lungs - basically, it is in the nose that what we breathe is properly "prepared" before it enters the deeper structures of the respiratory system.
The mucosa of the nasal cavity has numerous cilia, and there are also goblet cells that produce mucus.
Thanks to this structure of the nasal cavity, it is possible to both heat the air and moisturize it.
In addition, it is in the nose that various factors that should not reach the lungs - we are talking about various microorganisms as well as pollutants present in the air.
The function of the nose, which is typically ascribed to it, is the perception of olfactory stimuli. It is possible thanks to the presence of the olfactory epithelium within the nasal cavity - the so-called olfactory fibers that receive signals associated withwith different aromas and after these fibers are stimulated, they transmit the obtained information to the olfactory centers of the brain - only then do we perceive different smells.
You rarely think about it, although one of the functions of the nose is also participation in the feeling of different tastes.
It is often assumed that we feel flavors through stimuli that are perceived only within the language - nothing could be further from the truth.
Well, what taste we perceive at a given moment is actually a compilation of experiences from different senses - smell also plays a role in the overall perception of taste.
It is for this reason that people who struggle with a cold often complain that their food does not taste good at all - in a situation where their perception of smells is limited, it also has an impact on how they taste.
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The nose, however, is related not only to taste, but also to hearing. The nasopharynx contacts the Eustachian tubes, which in turn have a direct connection to the middle ear.
The role of the nasal structures in this case is to supply air to the probes, which allows for equilibrating the pressure between the environment and the ear structures - this in turn has an impact on the quality of our hearing.
Nose: diseases
Diseases that may involve the nose can be both localized infections and systemic problems.
Some diseases of the nose occur many times in people during their lives - first of all, we are talking about rhinitis, i.e. the rhinitis.
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The frequency of this problem is due not only to the fact that infections causing it are highly prevalent, but also the fact that rhinitis can be bacterial or viral, but also can be caused by fungal infections or allergies.
Another nose problem is also relatively common - nosebleeds. The nose has quite rich vascularization, but these vessels are delicate and relatively easy to damage - this is why nosebleeds can occur even after blowing your nose too hard and carelessly.
The disease of the nose can also be associated with the incorrect structure of its elements - an example of such a problem is the curvature of the nasal septum.
In general, the nose maintains the same shape throughout life, but in the case of a certain disease, which is acromegaly, it may significantly increase in size already in the adult life of a person suffering from this problem.
Nose diseases can also be illnessesneoplastic - for example basal cell carcinoma can develop in the area of the skin covering the elements of the outer nose.
As for individuals related to the deeper parts of the nose, these include sinusitis or nasal polyps.
Nasal diseases can also be associated with disorders of its functions - here we are talking about various disorders of the smell (such as, for example, anosmia, i.e. complete lack of smell), which may be caused by damage to the olfactory cells in the nose by various factors .
There are also a number of systemic diseases in which the symptoms may be related, among others, to just with the nose - examples of such problems include:
- granulomatosis with polyangiitis
- systemic lupus erythematosus
- tuberculosis
- rheumatoid arthritis
- syphilis
Sometimes nasal diseases develop in connection with activities that the patient himself / herself does. Here, nasal cocaine ingestion can be mentioned as an example.
Using this remedy in this way initially damages the delicate tissues of the nose, but may eventually even lead to permanent damage to the blood vessels that supply the nose.
This can lead to ischemia of his tissues, the manifestation of which in long-term users of nasal cocaine is that their noses simply break down.
Sources:
- Human anatomy. A textbook for students and doctors, ed. II and supplemented by W. Woźniak, ed. Urban & Partner, Wrocław 2010
- J.B. Watelet, P. Van Cauwenberge, Applied anatomy and physiology of the nose and paranasal sinuses, Allergy 1999, 54, Suppl 57, 14-24
- D. Neskey et al., Nasal, Septal, and Turbinate Anatomy and Embryology, Otolaryngol Clin N Am 42 (2009) 193-205