NE Dallas News

• Research has found that inflammation, which comes with chronic sinusitis, can alter brain activity.
• This can cause symptoms such as difficulty concentrating and depression.
• In older patients, chronic sinusitis has been linked to dementia.

Along with the expected physical symptoms, chronic sinusitis can also cause cognitive symptoms that might surprise patients, such as difficulty concentrating, according to Dr. Monty Trimble of Dallas Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers. 

“That's one of the things I’ve noticed with treating patients over time is that with some things, there's a direct correlation, having a deviated septum and huge turbinates and sinuses filled with (mucus) has a direct correlation on the way you breathe through your nose," Trimble told NE Dallas News. "But there are things that are more distant, like sleep, cognitive ability, as far as how sharp you are when you wake up in the morning.”

A study conducted by University of Washington School of Medicine found that chronic sinusitis, which affects approximately 11% of American adults, causes inflammation that is linked to changes in brain activity. These changes can cause patients to experience depression and have difficulty concentrating.

Dr. Kristina Simonyan, a coauthor of the study, said examining brain scans of patients revealed that "subjective feelings of attention decline, difficulties (in focusing) or sleep disturbances that a person with sinus inflammation experiences might be associated with subtle changes in how brain regions controlling these functions communicate with one another. It is also possible that we might have detected the early markers of a cognitive decline where sinus inflammation acts as a predisposing trigger or predictive factor."

In addition to physical symptoms -- such as congestion, facial pain and headaches -- some studies have found a link between chronic sinusitis and neurodegeneration in older patients, according to the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Researchers have found that the cognitive impairment caused by chronic sinusitis could perpetuate the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia, and it can cause progressive memory loss and personality changes.

One surgical treatment option for chronic sinusitis sufferers is balloon sinuplasty. A balloon sinuplasty procedure takes only 10 to 15 minutes, and patients typically recover within one to two days. Most patients can resume their normal activities during that time period, although they may experience some swelling for up to a week, according to Eisemann Plastic Surgery Center.

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