PHX Reporter

• Sinusitis sufferers could be at risk for heart disease if they don't seek treatment.
• Multiple studies have shown that acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis can potentially lead to stroke.
• A balloon sinuplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that can help sinus sufferers and reduce their risk for heart disease and stroke.

Dr. John Stewart of Arizona Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers is warning the public that patients who struggle with chronic sinusitis -- and leave it untreated -- risk the condition leading to heart disease and potentially a stroke.

"Chronic sinusitis can have many significant consequences to one’s health,” Stewart told PHX Reporter. “If left untreated, it can affect not only one’s nasal passageways and respiratory system, but their cardiovascular health as well. Chronic sinusitis can lead to nasal obstruction, which if left untreated, can cause sleep apnea. Subsequently, if sleep apnea is left untreated, it can negatively impact the heart, causing heart arrhythmias (such as atrial fibrillation) and stroke.”

Sinus problems impact one in five American adults each year, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. While it’s well-known that sinus conditions can cause headaches and congestion, a study from Taipei Medical University suggests the inflammation that causes the pain and pressure of a sinus infection also increases the odds of suffering a stroke — by 34% for people with chronic sinusitis and by 39% for those who get occasional acute infections, according to Next Avenue.

The link between sinusitis and stroke presents a heightened risk for middle-aged adults, since about 37% of stroke patients are between 45 and 65, according to the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A 2012 article from the American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy concluded that both acute and chronic sinusitis are risk markers for stroke and are separate from traditional markers for stroke.

A research article published in PLOS One found that chronic sinusitis consistently increases the risk of stroke, including the risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, regardless of age or gender.      

A balloon sinuplasty is often recommended for people with chronic sinusitis, after other treatments prove ineffective, according to Healthline. Complications from the procedure are minimal since there is no cutting, and no bones or tissue are removed.

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