Chronic sinusitis can lead to headaches, congestion, facial pain, earaches and other symptoms. | Wikimedia Commons
Chronic sinusitis can lead to headaches, congestion, facial pain, earaches and other symptoms. | Wikimedia Commons
For millions of Americans, inflammation of the sinuses is a problem that can have an impact on their quality of life, but treatment options are available to bring relief.
According to Dr. Jeffrey Feinfield, a board-certified otolaryngologist and facial plastic surgeon at Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery in Thousand Oaks, chronic inflammation of the sinuses can result in pain and pressure that impacts sleep and can lead to other medical issues.
“Think of allergies as an inflammatory process. You're around an allergen and your nose gets stuffed up, and you sneeze and your eyes tear up,” Feinfield told the LAX Leader. “Inflammatory medical mediators are happening at that point. If someone has a small opening in your sinus already... you then go ahead and make it inflamed, and now that sinus is not going to drain properly, and so it really goes hand in hand.”
Dr. Jeffrey Feinfield
| Bella Vist ENT
According to the American Sinus Institute, an estimated 37 million Americans suffer from inflammation of the sinuses, with at least one episode each year. This includes conditions such as blocked drainage ducts, narrow drainage ducts, nasal polyps and nasal mucous membrane swelling.
There are four key types of nasal inflammation, according to the American Sinus Institute: acute, sub-acute, chronic and recurrent. They can include pain that lasts less than four weeks (acute), four to eight weeks (sub-acute) or eight weeks or longer (chronic). Recurrent inflammation can result in frequent flareups over the course of a year.
The American Sinus Institute also reported that inflammation of the sinuses includes a swelling of the tissue lining of the sinuses. This is referred to as sinusitis and can ultimately lead to infection. Bella Vista ENT offers in-office, minimally invasive procedures that have been proven very effective in helping people with chronic sinusitis.
If you are suffering from inflammation of the sinuses, Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery offers an online quiz to evaluate your symptoms and find out if you could benefit from seeing a doctor.
Alerts Sign-up