A Little Known Respiratory Ailment

This story highlights one of the most fascinating dimensions of my work as a Los Angeles ENT: the challenge of differential diagnosis. A patient found herself unable to resolve a lifetime of respiratory issues despite visiting seeing multiple specialists, until her condition was finally identified as aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease, or AERD:

Samter’s triad, also known as aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease, or AERD, affects an estimated 10 percent of people with asthma. About 40 percent of people with both asthma and nasal polyps and who are also sensitive to aspirin may have Samter’s, studies suggest.

The bad news is that it took 18 years for Ms. Campbell to get a definitive answer. The good news is that sinus surgery was able to help resolve her symptoms. Nasal polyp removal began the process, and the rest was fairly painless:

Next, she placed temporary spacers in Campbell’s nasal passages that were removed once the healing process was far enough along. . . . After surgery, Campbell spent several days undergoing a process to desensitize her to aspirin. This has enabled doctors to wean her off the strong steroid medications she took for almost two decades.

Sinus medicine can overlap with a number of other fields and medical specialties. I am proud to say that my sinus surgery practice boasts one of the lowest revision rates in the nation, in part because we embrace such a multidisciplinary approach to all our patients.

To learn more about how you can relieve chronic sinus symptoms, contact my LA sinus surgery offices today.