Chronic sinus infections might be just a nuisance for some, but for people with cystic fibrosis untreated sinusitis can lead to dangerous lung infections. Medical and surgical treatments are available. Let’s take a closer look at both.
Medical Treatment
Before jumping into surgical treatment, most people will try a combination of medical treatments that may include:
- Nasal saline irrigations
- Antihistimines
- Decongestants
- Mucolytics
- Corticosteroids
- Antibiotics
Many of these are medications that people with cystic fibrosis take on a regular basis, even if they don’t have -- or don’t know they have -- sinusitis.
Surgical Treatment
If sinusitis persists or returns despite medical treatment, some people opt to have sinus surgery. The jury is still out as to whether sinus surgery provides any real benefit for chronic sinusitis treatment in people with cystic fibrosis. Some studies show that there is little benefit, while others find that those who have sinus surgery have less lung infections and flare-ups of breathing problems.
For people without cystic fibrosis, the decision to have sinus surgery is usually based on the severity of their symptoms. For people with cystic fibrosis, symptom severity is not the best method for determining when surgery is needed because complications from sinusitis can occur even before they consider the symptoms to be bothersome.
For those with cystic fibrosis, the decision whether or not to have sinus surgery is based on the following criteria:
- Persistent nasal obstruction that does not improve from medical treatments
- An anatomic obstruction (such as a large polyp) detected by CT or nasal endoscopy
- A pattern of worsening lung problems as a result of sinusitis
- Symptoms severe enough to interfere with quality of life
Source:
Robertson, J.M., Friedman, E.M., and Rubin, B.K. “Nasal and Sinus Disease in Cystic Fibrosis”. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews. 2008. 9:213–219. 2008 December 7.
