Depression may be biggest cause of lost productivity with sinus problems

(Reuters Health) – – Pain and other symptoms of chronic sinus problems might cause sufferers to miss work or school but depression is their biggest source of lost productivity, a small study suggests.

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), or long-lasting sinus swelling, is often caused by infection, growths in the sinuses or nose injury and can seriously affect people’s quality of life, the study team writes in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

In addition to facial pain and difficulty breathing through the nose, CRS can cause emotional symptoms like depression, the researchers add, and treatment in the future may need to focus more on these issues.

“We found that it was more severe depression symptoms that were associated with missing work or school due to CRS,” said senior author Dr. Ahmad Sedaghat, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

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