Pinellas Times

• The average lifetime cost of managing acute sinusitis is $38,515.
• The management of sinusitis in the United States exceeds $11 billion per year overall.
• There are minimally invasive treatment options for sinusitis that can provide long-term results and reduce healthcare costs.

Managing chronic sinusitis can be extremely expensive, but a balloon sinuplasty can relieve symptoms long term so patients don't have to pay unnecessary bills. Dr. Mariah Pate of Tampa Bay Breathe Free said there's a wide range of sinusitis sufferers who can benefit from the treatment.

"There is a wide range of patients [who] can benefit from balloon sinuplasty – anyone who has sinus issues such as congestion, facial pressure, recurrent sinus infection, [and] drainage," Pate told the Pinellas Times. "Those are some symptoms that you'll see with chronic sinusitis."

Chronic sinusitis is a condition where the sinuses, the spaces inside your nose and head, become inflamed and swollen for three months or more, according to the Mayo Clinic. That can disrupt the normal drainage of mucus, leading to nasal congestion and difficulty breathing through the nose. As a result, individuals may experience a stuffy nose, and the area around their eyes may feel tender and swollen. Symptoms include infections, nasal polyps (abnormal growths in the sinuses) or inflammation of the sinus lining. Both adults and children can be affected by this condition.

If left untreated, however, sinusitis can have a high financial cost. According to a study published in PubMed, the lifetime cost of managing sinusitis could amount to roughly $38,515. Some of the factors involved include the cost of antibiotics and time lost from work.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology reported that approximately 1 in 8 adults in the United States are affected by sinusitis, leading to more than 30 million diagnoses each year. They also noted that the management of acute and chronic sinusitis incurs a direct cost of more than $11 billion annually.

Instead of paying the high costs of sinusitis, you can seek long-term treatment options such as balloon sinuplasty, a safe, minimally invasive procedure used by surgeons to address chronic sinusitis, according to Nuffield Health. During the process, doctors insert a guide wire equipped with a small balloon into the nostrils and navigate it to the blockage.

"The ideal patient is a sinus patient that's mild to moderate," Pate said.

To learn more about sinus symptoms and treatments, take this free quiz.