Nature Coast Times

• Many people may not realize that chronic sinusitis can also affect their mental health.
• Studies have found that people who have chronic sinusitis are at an increased risk for depression and anxiety.
• Balloon sinuplasty is a quick, minimally invasive surgery that can treat chronic sinusitis.

Sinus issues can adversely impact a person’s quality of life, and Dr. Mariah Pate of Tampa Bay Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers says that people who suffer from chronic sinusitis are at an increased risk of experiencing anxiety and depression.

Pate told Nature Coast Times that in many ways, depression and sinusitis go hand in hand.

“Your risk of depression and anxiety is so much greater when you have chronic sinusitis,” she said. “Many patients with chronic fatigue, not sleeping, not being able to function the way they want to, not being able to breathe, it really wears on them. And it causes these underlying conditions to get worse.”

According to Physician's Weekly, studies have found that people with chronic sinusitis can be more likely to fall into a depression or suffer from anxiety. The website described a study of 16,224 people treated for chronic sinusitis and then compared them to a group of 32,448 similar people without sinus issues. The study tracked them for the next 11 years, concluding that people suffering from sinus issues were more than 50% more likely to suffer from depression or anxiety.

“Many times, when patients are treated with effective treatment and procedures, and they start breathing better and feeling better, they're able to get out and live life. And they're able to start staving off those feelings of anxiety and depression,” Pate said. “I do notice that a lot of patients’ moods will improve after they start breathing and feeling better."

According to Mayo Clinic, chronic sinusitis symptoms can include a runny nose, postnasal drainage, nasal inflammation, congestion, pain or swelling in the face, headaches, loss of smell and taste, a sore throat, bad breath or fatigue.

There is a surgical option that can provide some relief for those suffering from chronic sinusitis: balloon sinuplasty. According to Eisemann Plastic Surgery Center, the procedure takes only about 10 to 15 minutes, and most patients usually recover within a day or two. They can resume normal activities during that time, but some patients experience minor swelling for up to a week.

To learn more about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.