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Houston Chronicle presents

Dr. Ron Moses
"Ask the Doctor": Sinus Problems

May 2, 2000

The Houston Chronicle presents "Ask the Doctor" where Dr. Moses discusses health issues involving sinus surgery, sinusitis, headaches, sinus infections, and treatments.

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HoustonChronicle: Welcome to Ask the Doctor! The purpose of the Ask The Doctor chats are to provide general information and is in no way intended to be construed as medical advice for any visitors' specific disease or condition. The intent is to increase a participants' knowledge about a general disease or condition. For treatment of your specific condition please see your personal physician. This forum is not intended to be used in emergency situations. If you are uncertain of the urgency of your problem or condition, contact your personal physician or the nearest hospital for assistance. Welcome to Ask the Doctor! HoustonChronicle.com, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital - Houston and the Talk City Network are proud to present our special guest for today, Dr. Ron Moses of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. Welcome Dr. Moses.

Dr Moses: Hello and welcome to everybody. I enjoy discussing topics of sinusitis and have a particular interest in the latest in image-guided sinus surgery, and will happy to entertain any question.

TheNoseKnows: Why do we have sinuses?

Dr Moses: There are many answers to that question. Some of the answers include, number one, they decrease the weight of the head. Number two is they provide resonance for the voice. And number three, which is the reason that I believe in, is that they serve as protection to the eyes and the brain. If a ball were to approach the eye, the sinuses will collapse before any damage occurs to the eye or brain.

Sallyq: What is sinusitis?

Dr Moses: Technically, sinusitis is defined as inflammation of the sinuses. It does not necessarily mean an infection. However, the two of these tend to go hand in hand. There are many symptoms associated with sinusitis that can also be associated with other conditions.

TheChIlLFctr: How common is sinusitis?

Dr Moses: Chronic sinusitis is the most common chronic disease in the United States. Thirty seven million people are afflicted with sinusitis each year, and it is said to account for three billion dollars worth of medical expenditure.

ReadytoGo: How do I know if I suffer from sinusitis?

Dr Moses: There are some basic symptoms that are used as defining symptoms of sinusitis. These are known as major factors and minor factors. Major factors include facial pain and pressure, nasal obstruction, nasal discharge, a change in smell. The minor factors include headache, fever, halitosis, fatigue, dental pain, and a cough. It is said that when a person has two or more major factors, or one major factor and two minor factors, then they have sinusitis.

KarrieVen: What causes sinusitis?

Dr Moses: Sinusitis is a complex, multi-factorial disease process. There are several causes of the initial irritation in sinusitis. These include allergy, viruses, bacteria, anatomical abnormalities, and these initiating events can lead to a blockage of the sinus drainage ports. When these drainage sites are blocked, the mucus builds up in the sinuses, and, the airflow is blocked from entering the sinuses. This leads to a milieu of ideal bacterial medium. In turn, the cilia of the sinus slow down and can be damaged. All of this together leads to a decrease in the clearance of the infected sinus, and a more bacterial-friendly environment for future purulent growth.

Rita: Why can't the cilia move the mucus out?

Dr Moses: Cilia is affected by an environment with no oxygen, and also affected by the thickening of the mucus in the sinus. Environmental factors, such as smoking tobacco, and various industrial chemical irritants also affect them. All of these factors contribute to preventing the cilia from working.

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