Chronic sinusitis is one of the most prevalent health problems in the United States, affecting more than 37 million Americans—or 14 percent—annually. In fact, sinusitis is more common than heart disease and asthma, and inflicts a lesser quality of life than chronic back pain or congestive heart failure. Between 18-22 million Americans visit their doctor each year because of their chronic sinusitis symptoms, resulting in more than $8 billion spent in healthcare expenditures.
Chronic sinusitis is a serious health issue that persists for more than three months with many painful and uncomfortable symptoms. These can include congestion, facial pain and pressure, difficulty breathing, dental pain and toothaches, headaches, tiredness, sore throat and bad breath.
Many patients suffering from chronic sinusitis have started pursuing successful treatments like Balloon Sinuplasty™ to improve their symptoms. Balloon Sinuplasty™ is a non-surgical procedure that alleviates sinusitis pain and pressure. More than 160,000 patients have undergone Balloon Sinuplasty™ and 95 percent claim they would do it again. Dr. Sinha performs the Balloon Sinuplasty™ procedure as an in-office treatment with local anesthesia, which results in a faster recovery time.
After performing your own research on the symptoms of chronic sinusitis, you might think that you qualify for the Balloon Sinuplasty™ procedure. Many patients who have considered this treatment began their research with the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test, also known as the SNOT-20 questionnaire. When filling out this questionnaire, it’s important to consider how severe each symptom is when you experience it, and also how consistently it happens. You then answer each question on a scale from “no problem” to “problem as bad as it can be.” After finishing the questionnaire, you will pick the 5 symptoms that you consider to be the most important.
Many of our patients appreciate this questionnaire because it addresses not only the medical symptoms associated with chronic sinusitis, but also the emotional consequences that result from the symptoms. The numeric values associated with each answer will add up and recommend the next step you should take. Take our SNOT20 Questionnaire.
Dr. Sinha recommends that all of his patients take the SNOT-20 questionnaire before booking a consultation at the Sinus Institute of Atlanta. This evaluation should not be treated as a guide to chronic sinusitis or a diagnosis—it is meant to help you determine whether or not you should begin to research and pursue treatment. Dr. Sinha will discuss your questionnaire results with you and determine the best course of action.
Click here to download the SNOT-20 Questionnaire.
