West Ventura News

A person living with chronic sinusitis struggles to breathe through their nose.

The condition causes inflammation in the nose and sinuses for three months or longer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some symptoms of chronic sinusitis are runny and stuffy nose, as well as headaches, according to Mayo Clinic.

“We as humans are what’s called 'obligate nasal breathers,' where our brain prefers that we are breathing through our nose,” Dr. Jeffrey Feinfield, a doctor from Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery, told West Ventura News. “It’s the most efficient way to oxygenate our brain, and it causes great anxiety when we don’t. We can talk further about all the health complications that come from having a blocked nasal passage: sleep apnea, inflammatory mediators that can cause stroke, ED (erectile dysfunction) in men, poor quality of life and depression.”

People with chronic sinusitis are significantly more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety, Physician's Weekly reported.

“We’ve always noted that a lot of our sinusitis patients seemed depressed for many reasons, from lack of sleep to not believing there is a cure for the constant haze,” Feinfield told West Ventura News. “Now it’s actually been scientifically proven. A recent paper came out from Taiwan and said that, of their patients who had chronic sinusitis, 41% of them had clinical depression.”

A study published by JAMA Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery found that chronic sinusitis patients exhibited decreased brain connectivity in areas of the frontal lobe that modulate cognition, introspection and response to external stimuli.

Controlled breathing can reduce stress, increase alertness and boost your immune system, according to a report in The New York Times. If a patient's nasal passages are stuffed up, it could make this simple relief technique impossible.

Thankfully, there is a treatment called "balloon sinuplasty" for those living with chronic sinusitis. It's a relatively simple procedure that opens the patient's blocked sinus passages, allowing for more airflow and drainage. It is a quick procedure and can be done in the doctor's office with little recovery time and typically produces positive results for people who have been suffering for years.

Chronic sinusitis can make it hard to enjoy everyday life. If you think a specialist could help, take this quiz.