Montgomery News

• Chronic sinusitis has been found to cause erectile dysfunction.
• Other unexpected side effects of sinusitis include depression and poor sleep.
• Possible sinus treatments include endoscopy and balloon sinuplasty.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), erectile dysfunction -- which the National Institutes of Health defines as "the inability to attain and maintain an erection of sufficient quality to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse” -- affects approximately 5% of men in the U.S. A study using data from more than 1 million people from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database found that chronic sinusitis is associated with increased risk of erectile dysfunction. According to the report, treating sinusitis with functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) significantly decreased erectile dysfunction in patients.

Yahoo Sports reported that men who suffer from chronic sinusitis are as much as 50% more likely to be impotent, compared to men who do not suffer from sinusitis, citing a report from Kaohsiung University in Taiwan. The study found that when sinusitis inflames the lining of the sinuses, it causes the blood vessels in men's genitals to restrict blood flow.

People who are suffering from sinusitis may also suffer other unexpected side effects. According to Physicians Weekly, people with chronic sinusitis are 41% more likely to suffer from depression, and the NCBI reports that 60 to 75% of chronic sinusitis patients also suffer from poor sleep.

"Our nasal passages are really the center of our head. Problems in our nasal passages affect our ears, affect our eyes, affect our throat," Dr. Manish Khanna of Capitol Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers told North Baltimore Journal. "All this is connected, but also further down when you get into the lungs. Chronic sinus issues and recurring sinus issues can trigger asthma exacerbation and reactive airway disease. So there's so many organ systems that are that are touched by our nasal passages. Proper health care can make a big difference in a lot of ways."

People who suffer from sinusitis have several surgical treatment options, including endoscopy and balloon sinuplasty, according to WebMD.

Endoscopy is a common procedure, during which doctors insert thin, flexible instruments called endoscopes into the nose. One instrument has a small camera lens that sends images back to a screen, allowing the doctor to see where the sinuses are blocked and guide the other instruments to gently remove polyps, scar tissue and other blockages. There's no cutting involved, so your recovery should be relatively fast and easy. Endoscopy is usually done with a local anesthetic, meaning the area will be made numb and the patient remains awake.

Another relatively new treatment is balloon sinuplasty, which is a good option for patients who don't need anything removed from the sinuses. The doctor puts a thin tube into the nose with a small balloon attached to one end, then guides the balloon to the blocked area inside the nose and inflates it. The balloon helps clear the passageway so the sinuses can drain properly, alleviating congestion.

To learn more about sinusitis or balloon sinuplasty, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.