xRead - Nasal Obstruction (September 2024) Full Articles

20426984, 2021, 3, Downloaded from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alr.22741 by Stanford University, Wiley Online Library on [01/07/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License

234

International consensus statement on rhinosinusitis

I.E Lay Summary

How severe is chronic rhinosinusitis? Chronic rhinosinusitis not only causes nasal symptoms but also can lower a patient’s quality of life. This effect can be as severe as having other serious medical con ditions like congestive heart failure, chronic obstruc tive pulmonary disorder (COPD), and Parkinson’s dis ease. Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis also tend to feel very tired, have poor sleep, are more likely to be depressed, and sometimes feel they can’t think or solve problems well. The treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis is very expensive and costs the medical system over 11 bil lion dollars every year in the US. Chronic rhinosinusi tis also costs society another 13 billion dollars every year from patients not being able to go to work or not being as productive while at work. How is rhinosinusitis treated? Acute rhinosinusitis may first be treated with nasal steroid sprays, salt-water rinses, and sometimes a cou ple of days of decongestants. Doctors usually wait to give antibiotics unless symptoms don’t get better after about a week. There are many treatments for chronic rhinos inusitis but the most proven ones are salt-water rinses and steroid sprays or washes. Some studies have shown a kind of antibiotic called “macrolides” and washing the nose with a special compound called “xylitol” can also be used. For patients with nasal polyps, steroid pills and medications called “anti-leukotrienes” can help. If patients don’t get better after medications are tried, their doctors may talk to them about having sinus surgery. This surgery is meant to open the sinuses so they can drain better and also to help sprayed and rinsed med ications get deeper into the sinuses after surgery. Stud ies suggest that the worse your symptoms are and the quicker you have surgery, the better your results will be. What is new in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis? Many new treatments have been developed for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. In some patients with less severe symptoms who don’t get better with medica tion, the sinus openings can be stretched using balloons instead of fully opening them. Patients with nasal polyps can now also be treated with implants that release a steroid into the sinuses or an injection of a medication called a “biologic.” Research continues to understand the causes and best treatments of rhinosinusitis.

The 2021 International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis The 2021 International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Rhinosinusitis contains the most com plete and up-to-date information on what causes rhinos inusitis and how it should be treated, based on research and scientific evidence. It has been written, reviewed, and agreed upon by dozens of experts from around the world. This is one of the most important sources for doc tors who treat sinus and nasal problems as it helps them understand the latest treatments that have been proven to help patients suffering from rhinosinusitis. What is rhinosinusitis? We use the word “rhinosinusitis” instead of “sinusitis” to include inflammation of both the sinuses and the nasal passages. The most common symptoms of rhinosinusi tis are a runny nose, blockage or congestion of the nose, reduced sense of smell, and pressure or pain in the face. There are actually many types of rhinosinusitis, divided up by how long patients have symptoms. When symp toms last less than 4 weeks, we call that “acute rhinosi nusitis.” If symptoms last longer than 12 weeks, we call it “chronic rhinosinusitis.” In order to be diagnosed with chronic rhinosinusitis patients also need to have signs of infection or inflammation on a nasal exam or CT scan. Some patients will have small growths in the nose and sinuses called “Nasal Polyps” which come from severe inflammation. Patients with nasal polyps may be treated differently than patients without nasal polyps. How common is rhinosinusitis? Rhinosinusitis is very common problem. Every year about 9 out of 100 people will have acute rhinosinusitis. It is thought that about 14 out of every 100 people in the US have chronic rhinosinusitis and about 2-4 out of 100 have nasal polyps. Unless children have other medical prob lems, they have lower rates of chronic rhinosinusitis at about 1-2 out of 100.