SC Connecticut News

• 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. Terrance Kwiatkowski, of CT ENT, said sinusitis and asthma are linked due to the unified inflammation theory of the airway.

"There is something called the unified inflammation theory of the airway," Kwiatkowski said. "If you have inflammation in your nose and sinuses, and in your throat on the way down into your trachea, it's going to act as one. The way that we see this clinically is, we see patients who are baseline asthma patients, and if they have a sinus infection, they will come in and require higher treatments for their asthma because it enflames all the way down into the entire airway from the tip of the nose. Patients who have bad sinusitis or even just an acute sinusitis episode, if they have a baseline asthma, it will be worse that week or that month because of that."

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, 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.