The inflammation caused by chronic sinus infections can, over time, contribute to serious health conditions like stroke and heart disease. | Pexels/Mikhail Nilov
The inflammation caused by chronic sinus infections can, over time, contribute to serious health conditions like stroke and heart disease. | Pexels/Mikhail Nilov
• Millions of Americans suffer from chronic sinusitis every year.
• Symptoms of sinusitis include congestion, nasal discharge, facial pain, fever, headaches and toothaches.
• If left untreated, sinusitis can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis.
Dr. Matthew Blair of Gulf Coast Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers tells his patients that leaving chronic sinusitis untreated could have a negative impact on their overall health and quality of life.
"Nasal obstruction, chronic sinusitis or chronic allergies really affect one's quality of life," Blair told West Florida News. "If you have a poor outlook on life because you're always suffering from allergies or sinusitis, it's going to affect the rest of your general health. So if you can get your nose in tiptop shape, you're going to feel better, you'll want to do more things and you're going to overall improve your quality of health."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that chronic sinusitis affects 28.9 million Americans, or 11% of the adult population. Chronic sinusitis is also responsible for 4.1 million doctor visits and more than 230,000 emergency room visits each year.
People who suffer from sinusitis might experience congestion, facial pain, headaches, toothaches, nasal drainage, a reduced ability to smell, fever and bad breath, according to Scotland's National Health Service. If you do, and your symptoms don't improve after more than a week, then it's time to seek professional help.
An ENT specialist might recommend a saline solution or over-the-counter medication, and if those don't work, your doctor might prescribe antibiotics or a corticosteroid spray. If other treatments don't work, the specialist may then recommend sinus surgery.
Sinusitis causes inflammation in the sinus cavities, which can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, neurological disease, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes if left untreated, according to Next Avenue.
To solve the problem, more doctors are offering balloon sinuplasty, an outpatient procedure that takes only 10 to 15 minutes, and patients typically recover within one to two days. Most patients can resume their normal activities almost immediately, although they may experience swelling for up to a week, according to Eisemann Plastic Surgery Center.
For more information about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.
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