NW Riverside News

• 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. Matt Hershcovitch of SoCal Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers says the inflammation from chronic sinusitis can lead to serious health complications, including stroke.  One minimally invasive surgical treatment option for chronic sinusitis sufferers is balloon sinuplasty.

A balloon sinuplasty procedure lasts 10 to 15 minutes, and patients typically recover within one to two days. Most patients can resume their normal activities during that time period, although they may experience some swelling for up to a week, according to Eisemann Plastic Surgery Center.

"Patients are at significantly higher risk for stroke and cerebrovascular accidents when they have chronic sinusitis," Hershcovitch told NW Riverside News. "This has been proven, without a doubt. The reason for this is because there are many large blood vessels that run through and next to the sinus cavities, specifically the internal carotid artery, which provides most of the blood supply to your brain. When you have inflammation within the sinus cavity itself, it often translates to inflammation surrounding the blood vessels. This leads to narrowing and constricting of the blood vessels and thus poor flow to the brain. This puts people at much higher risk of having a stroke."

Chronic sinusitis affects 28.9 million American adults, or 11% of the adult population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Chronic sinusitis is responsible for 4.1 million doctor visits and more than 230,000 emergency room visits.

People suffering 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. People experiencing symptoms that aren't improving for more than a week should see a physician.

An ENT specialist might recommend a saline solution or over-the-counter medication, and if those don't help symptoms improve, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics or a corticosteroid spray. If those treatments do not resolve the sinusitis symptoms, the specialist might recommend a sinus surgery.

Sinusitis causes inflammation in the sinus cavities, which, if left untreated, can cause an increased risk of stroke, heart disease, neurological disease, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes, according to Next Avenue. 

If you want to learn more about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.