Source: www.masseyeandear.org
If you’re American, chances are that you are hearing about someone or the other getting affected by an ailment called “sinusitis” almost everyday. According to healthcare providers, nearly 31 million cases of chronic sinusitis are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. annually.
If you are one of the sufferers of sinusitis, it is likely that you have often heard the term deviated septum sinus – meaning that your deviated septum is responsible for your poor sinus functioning. If you are confused by this co-relation and want to find out how your sinuses and deviated septum are linked, you will find this article informative and interesting.
It is presumed that you know what a deviated septum is and the kind of negative impact this deviation of the central cartilage within your nose can create in terms of difficulty in breathing. Now your question is probably “what are sinuses, and how are they linked to deviated septum?”
Sinuses are tiny air pockets located inside the bones in the skull, precisely to either side of the nose, behind and in between the eyes, in the forehead and in the back of the head. The sinuses are lined with very fine fair-like structures called cilia, which moves mucus produced by the sinus towards a tiny hole that provides proper drainage for the sinus secretions.
Causes of Deviated Septum Sinus and Frequent Sinus Infections
A deviated septum causes the air passage to narrow down. This blocks the mucus from flowing down from the sinuses to the nasal cavity. When the flow is restricted, excess mucus gets accumulated inside the sinuses and this can be a breeding ground for bacteria that leads to frequent sinus infections.
This in turn causes inflammation of the sinuses, a condition called sinusitis. If this is left untreated, it can turn into chronic sinusitis. Therefore, if anyone is suffering from frequent sinus infections, it could be deviated septum sinus and a doctors’ opinion should be sought without delay.
How Common is Deviated Septum Sinus?
Sinusitis is one of the most common medical conditions, affecting nearly 30% of the country’s population at some point. And it is said that close to 80 million people in America suffer from deviated septum. So you could easily come to an approximate number of cases of deviated septum sinus in this country.
How to Treat a Deviated Septum Sinus
Symptoms resulting from a deviated septum are usually treated with medications like decongestants, antihistamines and corticosteroid nose sprays. However, if you are diagnosed with deviated septum sinus, septoplasty, a surgical procedure to correct a deviated septum can be done to reduce or eliminate the symptoms. However, you have to remember that a deviated septum creates pockets or channels that allow sinus fluids to accumulate that finally result in inflamed sinuses.
Your doctor is the final judge to decide whether your condition of deviated septum sinus requires surgical intervention or not.
I have had deviated surgery 2 times. Several years ago the dr. claims he did surgery only to find out from a dr. now that says I haven’t had it. I’ve been to 2 dr.s where I currently live and one told me I have a deviated septum but surgery is not going to correct the problem of chronic sinus problems, which is now going into my eye with infection. One dr. blew me off to see my friend who is also a pt. and when my friend went back to see the dr. told him the situation, now the dr. wants me to come back and see him. It seems all my life I’ve had to tell the dr.’s what is wrong and when the outcome is bad they won’t accept the responsibility (like having cancer 3 times). Please advise with info on what steps I can do next. I am disabled and having to pay a $35 co-pay is a lot of money when you get the run around. Should I think about Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL since I live in Ocala, FL. They treated me for my cancer after I had to make them continue cancer tests and prove I had the cancer I researched about!
Hi Donna – thanks for your question. I’m sorry to hear about your situation. Unfortunately, the only advice I can give you is to look for another doctor. I am not a doctor myself (I am an independent researcher), and my wife has sleep apnea (which has a connection to deviated septums in some cases). I have set up this site to share the information I find in the course of my research.
Marc