Allergies can cause inflammation in and around the cavities and membranes in the nasal passages. Blockage of the nasal passageways can keep mucus from draining, which can cause infections – not to mention pressure and pain around the face.
Shelby Stockton (00:00):
Welcome to the South Florida ENT audio blog. I'm your host, Shelby Stockton, and today I spoke with otolaryngologist Dr. Mark Sukenik about allergies and sinusitis. We talked about their interrelation, their symptoms, how to tell them apart, and what treatment options are available. If you suffer from allergies, sinusitis, or both, take a few minutes out of your day to educate yourself about your health.
Shelby Stockton (00:24):
Hi Dr. Sukenik, how are you today?
Dr. Sukenik (00:27):
Good, thank you.
Shelby Stockton (00:29):
So today we're here to discuss the interrelation between allergies and sinusitis. Are they related?
Dr. Sukenik (00:35):
Yeah, they're very interrelated. One of the main causes of sinusitis are allergies.
Shelby Stockton (00:43):
Okay. So if you have sinusitis, how can you tell the difference between the allergies of sinusitis and allergies?
Dr. Sukenik (00:50):
Well, part of it is sometimes semantics. Some people confuse one for the other, but allergies are usually a reaction you have to something in the environment or a food that causes itching, sneezing. Sometimes it causes sinusitis, which is a pressure and infection in the sinuses. Allergies can also cause rashes, hives, other things. So I would say sinusitis is one of the, one of the, one of the diseases that allergies can trigger. Sinusitis can come from other things such as nasal polyps, autoimmune disease, you know, simply getting an infection, but allergies are , a very large trigger of many people's "sinusitis."
Shelby Stockton (01:33):
So how can a person tell the difference between them?
Dr. Sukenik (01:38):
Well, again, sinusitis presents sort of a specific area of pain and pressure, and the sinuses or nasal congestion, what people call sinusitis, I guess, by definition, that's inflammation of the sinuses. But that has become a much larger term that people use for any kind of problems in the face, from runny nose, facial pressure and pain, to trouble breathing through their nose. Not all may be really "sinusitis" in fact, but people use that term. Whereas allergies are more of and even broader term that can trigger sinusitis. Allergies, like I said, can affect any part of the body from your throat closing up, to sneezing and sinus symptoms or hives. So sometimes a simple answer is sometimes you can't tell the difference and we can be unsure of what's triggering your sinus problems is allergy.
Shelby Stockton (02:36):
So what are the available treatment options for both of them?
Dr. Sukenik (02:40):
Well allergies, so the main treatment of allergies, I like to tell people are either medications, allergy testing and allergy shots, not do anything and live with it, move to another state and see if you feel better - not many people take me up on that - and sometimes surgical options that won't fix the allergies, but it may fix what the allergies are triggering. Similarly, sinus, if it's in fact, a sinusitis or an infection, you know, that's often treated with antibiotics and or steroids. Again, sometimes topical allergy type medication to open the sinuses and prevent the symptoms are used. And again, there are surgical options to open the sinuses, which sometimes are a good option, and sometimes aren't, to fix anatomical problems that may be triggering the sinusitis. And of course, one can always try to move to Colorado where we don't have dust mite.
Shelby Stockton (03:34):
One last question before I let you go. Can you live life with these things without going to a doctor and just kind of powering through? Or is that a bad idea? Cuz it could cause you know, worse health problems.
Dr. Sukenik (03:47):
No, as a matter of fact, that's what I tell people. You know, one option is living with it, if it doesn't bother you too much. Now, if you're unsure, you know, obviously no one wants to miss something strange that could be triggering their symptom. So if you have a new symptom or something strange, it's better to get it checked out. But if it is in fact sinus and allergies, certainly people live with it all the time. And again, some people treat it and other people don't, but it's probably good to get checked out and make sure that's all you're dealing with and not dealing with some strange thing that's blocking the sinuses like a mass or growth, which is rare. But you know, again, something that should be checked.
Shelby Stockton (04:25):
Okay. Great advice. I really appreciate your time doctor.
