The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation describes cystic fibrosis, or CF, as an inherited chronic disease. Although CF is invariably fatal, the median predicted age of survival has crept up from age 32 in 2000 to age 37.4 in 2008. The prognosis is determined by the severity of the disease, the vigilance of self-care, and access to medical facilities. Patients with CF produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that leads to life-threatening lung infections. However, the sinuses are also repositories of infection. A 2008 paper published in the "International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology" revealed that 71.5 percent of CF patient studied had chronic sinus infections.
Nasal Blockage
Infected sinuses in CF patients cause blockage of the upper nasal passages. According to the MayoClinic.com, this may cause facial pain, fever, nasal drainage, and headaches. Different strains of bacteria can colonize in the sinuses of CF patients, causing recurrent problems.
Sinonasal polyps
CF patients can get sinus infections so often that they develop polyps in their nasal sinuses. These nasal polyps result from the overgrowth of tissue due to inflammation. According to a 2008 paper published in the "International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology," sinonasal polyps were found in 18.3 percent of the patients examined. These polyps can increase breathing difficulties.
Treatment
While children with CF benefit from sinus surgery, there is little data on the benefit of surgery on older CF patients. A 2009 paper appearing in "Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery" compared the effects of surgery on adult CF patients to the effects of surgery on non-CF patients who also had chronic sinus infection. The study showed that quality of life for CF patients who had the surgery improved just as much as it did for non-CF controls.
References
- "Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery"; Outcomes of Sinus Surgery in Adults with Cystic Fibrosis.
- Centers for Disease Control: Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infections
- Cystic Fibrosis Foundation: FAQs
- "International Journal of Pediatric Otolaryngology"; Rhinosinusitis in Cystic Fibrosis: Not a Simple Story.
- Mayo Clinic: Chronic Sinusitis
