Question: Tell me about how sinusitis affects the quality of life.
Answer: If you have sinusitis, you already know sinusitis has a NEGATIVE impact on your quality of life. But did you know there is specific scientific proof?

To analyze quality of life, questionnaires have been developed to produce reliable Health Related Quality of Life (HRQL) data.

In an important study by Doctors Glicklick and Metson, patients with chronic sinusitis were found to have significant decreases in quality of life measures. The areas that were most affected were bodily pain, general health, vitality and social functioning. Such decrements in quality of life for chronic sinus patients were similar to those seen in other chronic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, and chest pain or angina pectoris.

A subsequent study by Drs. Winston and Barnet, also in patients with chronic sinusitis, found that these patients had significant decrements in multiple areas of health-related quality of life. The most affected areas were physical bodily pain, social functioning and vitality.

Drs. Gliklick and Metson reported on the effect of sinus surgery on quality of life in 1997. In this study, 82% of patients who underwent surgery for chronic sinusitis demonstrated statistically significant clinical improvement in their sinusitis-specific measures of life quality. Patients who underwent surgery for chronic sinusitis demonstrated significant improvement in 6 of the 8 sub-scales of general health one year after surgery.