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Prevalence Of Sinusitis On The Rise MILWAUKEE, June 30 1997 -- Sinusitis, an inflammatory disease of the sinus, is one of the most commonly reported diseases in the United States, affecting an estimated 14 percent of the population according to a report published in the June issue of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Between 1990 and 1992, people with sinusitis reported approximately 73 million restricted activity days -- a 50 percent increase from the 50 million restricted activity days reported between 1986 and 1988. Focusing on the public health impact of sinusitis, the report highlights the increasing health care burden the disease places on consumers and employers. In 1992, sinusitis sufferers incurred direct costs of approximately $2.4 billion -- an estimate that does not include costs of diagnostic evaluation or surgical intervention. These costs continue to escalate. "Sinusitis is a prevalent and costly disease," said Michael Kaliner, M.D., Director of the Institute for Asthma and Allergy at Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C., and principal author of the paper. "With more than 30 million Americans suffering from sinusitis, it's time we place a priority on establishing standards of care and promote the research needed to improve our management of this disease." Sinusitis is an inflammation of the nasal passages, most often accompanied by a "sinus headache," runny nose, post-nasal drip, and sinus congestion. According to the report, sinusitis rates are relatively high in the Midwest and South compared with the Northeast and Western regions of the country. In addition, more women than men visited physicians' offices for sinusitis according to the 1991 National Ambulatory Care Survey, a periodic national physician survey of patient visits to private physicians' offices. The study reported approximately 11.6 million visits for chronic sinusitis. Chronic sinusitis, lasting more than eight to 12 weeks, can significantly affect worker productivity and school performance on an individual level. Sinusitis was the fifth leading cause for antibiotic prescriptions during ambulatory care visits between 1985 and 1992. In 1992, there were 13 million antibiotic prescriptions for acute and chronic sinusitis, representing more than a two-fold increase from 5.8 million prescriptions in 1985. The 1993 National Hospital Discharge Survey, a yearly survey of hospital discharges for non-federal U.S. hospitals, documented 16,000 discharges for acute sinusitis and 29,000 discharges for chronic sinusitis. These data indicate that women are hospitalized more often than men for both acute and chronic sinusitis. Sinusitis can significantly affect quality of life. "Patients with sinusitis experience chronic nasal congestion and drainage, frequent or constant headaches, and generalized fatigue and malaise," said Dr. Kaliner. "All of these symptoms combine to reduce productivity and negatively affect the quality of life." The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology is the largest national medical specialty organization representing allergists, clinical immunologists and allied health professionals. E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version