Allergies, Cold or Sinusitis?

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Allergies, Cold or Sinusitis?

Your nose is congested, and it’s hard to breathe. Thick mucus irritates the back of your throat. Your face, head, and even your teeth hurt from the pressure. You’re losing your sense of smell and taste. You’re incredibly tired and irritable. You think that it must be yet another cold or allergy attack again this year.

You take an allergy or cold medicine to relieve your symptoms, but they don’t help. Finally, you see your primary care physician.

Fall is just around the corner and people who suffer from nasal allergies and sinus pain will soon be struggling to catch their next breath. Many people in North Texas, women, in particular, suffer from chronic sinusitis, a common condition that involves the sinuses becoming inflamed and swollen.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 13 percent of people in the United States were told they had sinusitis, and more women were diagnosed with the condition than men.

Now a procedure is available to help relieve nasal and sinus blockage. The new technique, called Balloon Sinuplasty™, is being performed at Baylor Medical Center at Frisco by physicians on the medical staff trained in Otolaryngology.

“This minimally invasive procedure takes about 30-60 minutes and involves using a small catheter and balloon to open and expand blocked sinuses,” said Dr. Keith Matheny, ear, nose, and throat specialist on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Frisco. “It’s designed to help relieve the pain and pressure of chronic sinusitis for patients who no longer respond well to antibiotic treatments or other medications.”

Chronic sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinus lining lasting three months or more and is one of the most commonly diagnosed chronic illnesses. It is caused by bacterial, viral, and allergic conditions, as well as structural issues like blockages of the sinus opening.

Signs and symptoms of chronic sinusitis may include:

• Facial pain, pressure, congestion or fullness
• Difficulty breathing through the nose
• Discharge of yellow or green mucus from the nose
• Teeth pain
• Loss of the sense of smell or taste
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Sore throat
• Bad breath

The most frequently used treatments for chronic sinusitis are medical therapies and/or conventional sinus surgery. Medical therapy treatments include sprays, antibiotics, steroids, and other remedies, while conventional sinus surgery involves removing tissue in order to open the sinus passages. The breakthrough of balloon sinuplasty is that it is a tissue preserving procedure, which helps promote a return to normal functioning without removing tissue or bone.

“For some patients,” says Dr. Matheny, “conventional sinus surgery is necessary. However, for those with the right indications, balloon sinuplasty offers a gentler alternative with a quicker recovery, days instead of weeks.”

Click below for more information on:

Chronic Sinusitis and Treatment Options

How does Balloon Sinuplasty work?

Benefits of Balloon Sinuplasty

Ear Nose & Throat Specialists at Baylor Frisco

Click here for a full list of physicians on staff at Baylor Frisco or call 1.855.4.FRISCO (437-4726) for a physician near you.