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What causes a blocked nose?

A blocked nose is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Allergy, a cold, sinus swelling and a bent septum are the causes most often found in clinic.

Short-term blockage

A cold or a flare of allergy can close the nose for days or weeks and then ease.

Blockage that stays

A septal deviation or ongoing sinus disease is more likely if one side is always worse. That is an ENT question, not something to decide from a mirror.

Reviewed by the Sachi Hospital medical team · September 2026. This is general education, not personal medical advice. Related service: Deviated nasal septum.

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