PHX Reporter

• 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.

In order to manage chronic sinusitis long term, it can be extremely expensive. Dr. John Stewart of Arizona Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers said studies have shown that medical costs for unresolved sinusitis can be astronomical.

"A study by the National Institute of Health showed that over a one-year period, there were up to 73 million restricted-activity days related to sinusitis and total direct medical costs of almost $2.4 billion, not including surgery or radiographic imaging,” Stewart said in a statement. “Unresolved sinusitis becomes a quality of life issue, taking people away from their jobs, family, friends and obligations."

According to the Mayo Clinic, 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, according to the website, can lead to puffiness and tenderness under the eyes, a stuffy nose, with triggers including infections, polyps or swelling of the sinus lining.

The National Library of Medicine’s PubMed website says that chronic sinusitis, when left untreated, 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.

Moreover, the American Academy of Otolaryngology pointed out 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 to shelling out fees that follow sinusitis, patients can pursue 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.