Litchfield Hills Today

• Chronic sinusitis can cause erectile dysfunction.

• Depression, lack of sleep and lower exercise tolerance are other possible side effects of sinusitis.

• Treatment options such as balloon sinuplasty can improve breathing by opening blocked nasal passages.

As if having chronic sinusitis isn't bad enough, it can also cause erectile dysfunction, according to Dr. Robert Weiss of CT ENT Sinus Center.

"I'm not a urologist, but my reading of how that works (is) anything that affects blood vessels can affect other things," Weiss told Litchfield Hills Today. "Erectile dysfunction is based on blood flow, and if blood flow is poor, you can experience (erectile dysfunction). Chronic inflammation in the body affects blood vessels and blood flow."

Erectile  dysfunction, which the  National Institutes of Health defines as "the inability to attain and maintain an erection of sufficient quality to permit satisfactory sexual intercourse,” affects approximately 5% of  men in the United States, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).  A study using data from more than 1 million people from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) found that chronic sinusitis is associated with increased risk of erectile dysfunction. According to the report, treating sinusitis with functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS) significantly decreased erectile dysfunction in patients. 

Yahoo! Sports reported that men who suffer from chronic sinusitis are as much as 50% more likely to be impotent compared to men who do not suffer from sinusitis, citing a report from Kaohsiung University in Taiwan. The study found that when sinusitis inflames the lining of the sinuses, it causes the blood vessels in men's genitals to restrict blood flow.              

People with chronic sinusitis are 41% more likely to suffer from depression, according to Physicians Weekly. Between 60 and 75% of chronic sinusitis patients also suffer from poor sleep, according to the NCBI.      

People who suffer from sinusitis have several surgical treatment options, including endoscopy and balloon sinuplasty, WebMD reports.

Endoscopy is a common procedure, during which doctors insert thin, flexible instruments called endoscopes into the nose. One instrument has a small camera lens that sends images back to a screen, allowing the doctor to see where the sinuses are blocked and guide the other instruments to gently remove polyps, scar tissue and other blockages. Doctors won’t cut into the skin, so recovery is relatively fast and easy. Endoscopy is usually done with a local anesthetic, meaning the area will be made numb and the patient remains awake. 

Another relatively new treatment is balloon sinuplasty, which is a good option for patients who don't need anything removed from the sinuses. The doctor puts a thin tube into the nose with a small balloon attached to one end. The doctor then guides the balloon to the blocked area inside the nose and inflates it. The balloon helps clear the passageway so the sinuses can drain properly, alleviating congestion.  

To learn more about chronic sinusitis or balloon sinuplasty, visit CT ENT Sinus Center.