PHX Reporter

• Asthma is a common issue many sinusitis sufferers have to deal with.
• Allergies triggered by sinusitis lead to mouth breathing, which leads to airway disorders, such as asthma.
• Patients struggling with asthma caused by sinusitis are encouraged to seek minimally invasive treatment from a specialist for a better quality of life.

Sinusitis, in whatever form it may be, can lead to a plethora of different issues, including asthma. Dr. John Stewart, of Arizona Breathe Free, said inflammation from allergies due to sinusitis can trigger asthma. 

"A lot of pulmonologists look at asthma as basically an allergy of the lung, but it's a chronic inflammatory response that is often triggered by allergens themselves," Stewart said. "Part of the management, for a lot of pulmonologists, is having patients undergo immunotherapy to get over their allergies. They find this [works] especially with IGE-induced asthma. There is basically a direct correlation between that and asthma, so getting their allergies treated helps both conditions."

Many people with asthma also suffer from allergies, and allergy triggers can set off asthma symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic. The immune system's response to fighting off allergens involves releasing chemicals that can lead to a runny nose, congestion or skin reactions, and those responses can affect the airways, triggering asthma symptoms. 

Allergy treatments, such as immunotherapy, can reduce your body's reaction to allergens over time, which will in turn decrease asthma symptoms, the Mayo Clinic reported.

People who suffer from allergies or chronic sinus problems are more likely to breathe through their mouths, but mouth breathing can lead to oral health issues, according to McCarl Dental Group. Mouth breathing dries up saliva, which then allows bacteria and plaque to build up on the teeth, which can cause cavities, gum disease and chronic bad breath. 

Regularly breathing through the mouth can also, over time, lead to strained jaw joints, snoring, sleep apnea, enlarged tonsils and a higher risk for airway disorders, such as asthma, McCarl Dental Group reported.

For sinusitis patients who struggle with asthma, there are minimally invasive treatment options that can provide long lasting results. One of these treatment options is the balloon sinuplasty, which is a safe and minimally invasive procedure utilized by surgeons to address chronic sinusitis, according to Nuffield Health. During the process, doctors insert a guide wire equipped with a small balloon into the nostrils and navigate it to the area of blockage.