Demographics and etiologic factors of nasal pyogenic granuloma.

BACKGROUND: Nasal pyogenic granuloma (lobular capillary hemangioma) is a rare benign tumor of unclear etiology. This study describes the clinical characteristics and possible etiologic factors in a series of patients with pyogenic granuloma.

METHODS: All adult patients with a histologic diagnosis of pyogenic granuloma of the nasal cavity were identified between January 2005 and May 2015. A total of 128 charts were reviewed retrospectively for age, gender, clinical presentation, location of lesion, and medical history.

RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients were identified including 13 (34%) men and 25 (66%) women with a mean age of 45 years (range, 18-80 years). The majority (92%) presented with epistaxis and 76% had the lesion located on the septum. All patients had the lesion surgically excised with final pathology confirming pyogenic granuloma. Out of 38 patients, 15 (40%) had a concurrent history of altered hormonal activity (due to hormone therapy, pregnancy, or tumor), and 7 (18%) had prior injury to the nasal cavity.

CONCLUSION: This study is 1 of the largest case series of nasal pyogenic granuloma to be reported. In this series, this disease process was seen in approximately twice as many women as compared to men. Our data further supports prior studies, suggesting that altered hormonal activity and nasal injury may increase the risk of developing nasal pyogenic granuloma.