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Doctor: Individuals with sinusitis 'should consider allergy testing'

Category: Allergy Testing

A recent Dutch study which linked allergens to serious sinus problems that affect millions of Americans may encourage allergy testing for concerned sufferers.

Reported in the December issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, a study by doctors from the Allergy Research Foundation in the Netherlands found that exposure to allergens caused significant inflammation in patients with chronic sinusitis, HealthDay News reports.

The researchers tested the influence of the allergy-causing substances using X-rays and ultrasound images.

"This is something that further supports what we've already known," Dr Jordan Josephson, an allergy specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told the news source. "People should consider allergy testing when they have chronic sinusitis."

The study included 71 people with the nasal condition and 16 individuals with nasal allergies but without a sinus disease. A total of 67 patients with sinusitis developed an inflammatory response to the introduced allergens, while no significant changes were identified in people without the infection.

According to a report by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, more than 40 million Americans are afflicted by an allergic condition.