Pelican State News

• The lifetime cost of managing acute sinusitis is $38,515.
• The management of sinusitis in the United States exceeds $11 billion per year overall.
• There are minimally invasive treatment options for sinusitis that can provide long term results and reduce your healthcare costs in return.

Managing chronic sinusitis long term can prove to be extremely expensive. Dr. Adil Fatakia of ENT & Allergy of New Orleans said studies have shown that medical costs for unresolved sinusitis can be astronomical.

"The other thing that people don't really realize about sinus disease is [that] it sometimes becomes a routine part of their life, almost a new normal,” Fatakia said in a statement. "[You] feel bogged down in your head and nose, [so] we spend an incredible amount of money unknowingly on over-the-counter medications to try to boost our system."

Fatakia pointed out in the statement that rather than getting to the cause of the problem, physicians often just “put Band-Aids on them."

"Therefore, I would implore people to instead of just assuming that this is where you have to be, to seek some attempt at getting to the bottom of your allergies and sinuses to see how we can help your quality of life going forward, as opposed to relying on the counter remedies that you have become accustomed to” Fatakia said.

The Mayo Clinic noted that chronic sinusitis, which can affect adults or children, occurs when inflammation impacts the spaces inside your head and nose, which can impact the normal drainage of mucus, resulting in congestion and trouble breathing through the nose. This can lead to puffiness and tenderness under the eyes, a stuffy nose, with triggers including infections, polyps or swelling of the sinus lining.

Moreover, PubMed says on its website that, left untreated, chronic sinusitis could lead to escalating costs, and over a lifetime those costs can top more than $38,000, with variables including lost work time and the cost of medications, including antibiotics.

In a post on its website, the American Academy of Otolaryngology points out that about 1 in 8 adults nationwide are impacted by sinusitis, resulting in more than 30 million diagnoses annually, and the management of chronic and acute forms of the disease can lead to costs of more than $11 billion each year.

One option other than shelling out fees that follow sinusitis, is pursuing treatment options that are minimally invasive and can save money, according to Nuffield Health, which noted balloon sinuplasty could prove to be a viable option. The procedure, according to the website, is used by physicians to treat chronic sinusitis, and requires a doctor to insert a guide that carries a balloon into the nose and to the blocked area.

Patients who believe they could benefit from the procedure can take a sinus self-assessment quiz online.