Chronic sinusitis has recently been found to be associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction. | pixabay
Chronic sinusitis has recently been found to be associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction. | pixabay
⦁ Recent studies have shown sinusitis increases the risk of erectile dysfunction.
⦁ Unexpected side effects of sinusitis include depression and insomnia.
⦁ People who suffer from sinusitis have several surgical treatment options.
Chronic sinusitis has recently been found to be associated with an increased risk of erectile dysfunction, according to a study that analyzed data from more than 1 million participants from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database.
Dr. Brian Lee of Scottsdale Sinus and Allergy Center also warns that sinusitis-related illnesses could have a number of negative effects on a person's overall health.
"Anything that causes inflammation in the body can disrupt other chronic medical issues: high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes," Dr. Lee told Grand Canyon Times. "A lot of patients with chronic sinusitis typically are put on antibiotics and usually oral steroids multiple times a year, and those steroids definitely can wreak havoc on patients' blood sugars."
Approximately 5% of American men experience erectile dysfunction, which the National Institutes of Health characterizes as "the inability to attain and maintain an erection of sufficient quality to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse."
In addition, Yahoo! Sports cited a study from Kaohsiung University in Taiwan, which found that men experiencing chronic sinusitis are up to 50% more likely to be impotent. According to the study, sinusitis leads to inflammation of the sinus lining, which restricts blood flow to men's genitals.
According to a separate NCBI report, around 60 to 75% of people with chronic sinusitis also experience sleeping difficulties. Physicians Weekly also reports that those who suffer from chronic sinusitis are 41% more likely to experience depression.
However, WebMD points out that people suffering from chronic sinusitis have multiple treatment options, including endoscopy and balloon sinuplasty.
Endoscopy is a standard procedure in which doctors insert tools known as endoscopes into the nose in order to see where the sinuses are obstructed.
Another relatively new procedure is balloon sinuplasty, which serves as an alternative for patients who do not require anything to be surgically removed from their sinuses. This procedure involves inserting a thin tube with a tiny balloon connected to one end into the nose. The doctor then directs the balloon to the obstructed spot within the nose and expands it to open the passage so the sinuses can pass and relieve congestion.
According to the NCBI's report, the use of endoscopic sinus surgery to treat sinusitis helped to reduce reported cases of erectile dysfunction among patients.
If you're interested in learning more about chronic sinusitis or balloon sinuplasty, please take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz
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