Sinusitis May Be Misdiagnosed as ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia & Arthritis

Alexander Chester, MD says that one symptom of chronic sinusitis, bodily pain, is not listed in the medical books/journals so it may be misdiagnosed as depression, ME/CFS, fibromyalgia and arthritis.� It is estimated that approximately 14% of the population has sinusitis.� The condition can become a chronic problem that can be difficult to treat.�

Dr. Chester led a research at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC on sinusitis.� The research suggests that many people who suffer from sinusitis have aches and pains similar in severity to people in their 80s and those with arthritis or depression.� It was also discovered through the study that endoscopic sinus surgery to clear clogged sinuses can bring significant pain relief.

The purpose of the study, presented September 22 at the 2008 annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation in Chicago was to determine if elevated levels of bodily pain were associated with sinusitis and to examine whether bodily pain improved following endoscopic sinus surgery.

In the first known review of its kind, Chester and his colleagues performed a meta-analysis of 11 studies which included a general, health-related quality-of-life survey with a separate assessment of bodily pain before and after endoscopic sinus surgery on a scale of 0 (most bodily pain) to 100 (least bodily pain).

“We found that the daily experience of bodily pain was much more common in patients with sinusitis than in the overall population,” explains Chester. “Confirmation that aches and pains occur with sinus disease is a relief to many patients who thought they had two separate illnesses.”

This study reveals some very important information surrounding sinusitis:� Chronic sinusitis should not be considered as a minor localized disease condition.� The study shows that chronic sinusitis can cause serious discomfort for many patients.� The majority of the studies also showed that bodily pain improved once the endoscopic sinus surgeries were performed.

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