A Link Between Sinusitis and Stroke?

Here’s a startling finding out of Taiwan: Chronic sinusitis has been correlated with a higher risk of stroke.

Those of us in the ENT community have seen some evidence of this connection before, leading many to speculate that the link between sinusitis and stroke could run through the intracranial vessels, those blood-carrying conduits which appear in both the brain and the sinuses.

But of course a correlation is just that: proof that two things appear together, and not proof that one is causing the other. We may soon discover that some outside factor which precipitates strokes also gives rise to sinusitis, or that sinusitis itself creates a cascade of vascular symptoms which ultimately causes stroke. This is new ground, in other words, and researchers are just beginning to explore the connection in some depth.

None of this changes what we’ve long known: that chronic sinusitis is painful and debilitating. There is no need for the specter of a stroke to act as motivation to get help right away. If you’ve experienced the distress of sinusitis for longer than a couple weeks, please contact my sinus surgery practice today.

Tags: chronic sinusitis, sinus surgery, stroke, studies