North Baltimore Journal

• The lifetime cost of managing acute sinusitis is $38,515
• The management of sinusitis in the United States exceeds $11 billion per year overall
• There are minimally invasive treatment options for sinusitis that can provide long term results and reduce your healthcare costs in return

Managing chronic sinusitis is expensive, but a balloon sinuplasty procedure can relieve symptoms long term, which prevents unnecessary healthcare costs. Dr. Jamie Oberman of Frederick Breathe Free said a balloon sinuplasty is more cost effective than traditional sinus surgery. 

"What that does is it addresses the anatomy in a minimally invasive, comfortable way for the patient without having to undergo general anesthesia, which was the conventional approach typical before the innovation with the balloons. Under topical and local anesthesia, you can find the normal anatomic opening and widen it essentially. A narrowed anatomic opening is what's called a hypo ventilated, under ventilated, unhealthy sinus, so that contributes to chronic symptomatology and recurrent infections. So if you can open that anatomy with the balloon, it's much less morbidity, safer for the patient, as well as more cost effective and efficient," said Oberman.

Chronic sinusitis is a condition where the sinuses, or the spaces inside your nose and head, become inflamed and swollen for a period of three months or more, according to Mayo Clinic. This disrupts the normal drainage of mucus, leading to nasal congestion and difficulty in breathing through the nose. As a result, individuals may experience a stuffy nose, and the area around their eyes may feel tender and swollen. Triggers include infections, the presence of abnormal growths in the sinuses, like nasal polyps, or sinus lining inflammation. Both adults and children can be affected by this condition.

If chronic sinusitis goes untreated for a long period of time, the cost of care can soar. According to a study published in PubMed, the lifetime cost of managing sinusitis is $38,515. Some variables include the cost of antibiotics and patients' time away from work due the condition.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology reported that approximately 1 in 8 adults in the United States are affected by sinusitis, leading to more than 30 million diagnoses each year. They also noted that the management of acute and chronic sinusitis incurs a direct cost of over $11 billion annually, including everything that goes into it.

Instead of paying constant fees, there are long term treatment options for patients that can save patients money. Balloon sinuplasty is a safe and minimally invasive procedure performed by surgeons to address chronic sinusitis, according to Nuffield Health. During the procedure, doctors insert a guide wire into the nostrils, equipped with a small balloon, navigate it to the area of blockage, and inflate it to clear the airway.

If you think you could benefit from a minimally invasive sinus treatment to improve your quality of life, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.