Litchfield Hills Today

• Chronic sinus inflammation can lead to decreased functionality and painful symptoms.

• Chronic sinusitis affects 28.9 million American adults, or 11% of the adult population.

• Balloon sinuplasty is an effective, manageable procedure for people who have chronic sinusitis.

According to the American Sinus Institute, nasal inflammation is swelling of the tissue that lines the sinuses. Also known as sinusitis, this condition blocks the air passageways, causing mucus to increase and potentially cause an infection. This type of ailment is common and can be caused by something as simple as the common cold.

Serious complications can result from untreated sinusitis, such as vision loss or other infections, according to Mayo Clinic.

"It's night-and-day in most cases. With a balloon, most people go back to work within a day or two at the most and back to their activities," Dr. Robert Weiss of CT ENT Sinus Center told Litchfield Hills Today. "I just have to think back to when I used to do full sinus surgery before the balloon. First, it takes you at least 48 or 72 hours to recover from general anesthesia. It's not easy, because most of those cases took anywhere from one to two hours. When you add it all up, you're under anesthesia for a fair amount of time. So that takes its toll because you're doing more of a destructive process. You're doing surgery on the sinuses, you're removing tissue, removing bone."

"Many of those patients ended up having packing in their nose, which could stay in for a couple of days. It's quite uncomfortable while it's in; it's even more uncomfortable coming out. So all those factors add up to a significant experience of not feeling so great. At the end of the day, it's going to still take four to six weeks to heal, but I'd say that the initial one to two weeks is a lot rougher when you do a complete set of surgical approaches to the sinuses."

Chronic sinusitis affects 28.9 million American adults, or 11% of the adult population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Chronic sinusitis is the cause of 4.1 million doctor visits and more than 230,000 emergency room visits each year.

Balloon sinuplasty is often recommended for people who are suffering from chronic sinusitis, after other treatments for their condition have been ineffective. The procedure is fairly straightforward, and reported complications are minimal. There are no incisions and no removal of bones or tissue, according to Healthline.

After a balloon sinuplasty, many people are able to return to their regular activities within a day or two. Some people even drive themselves home from the procedure.

Readers can learn more about sinusitis and balloon sinuplasty by visiting CT ENT Sinus Center's website.