6.5 million suffer from sinus woes

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: Just can’t get rid of that stuffed nose, pain and difficulty in breathing? Chances are that you are one of 6.5 million Malaysians suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis.
Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia senior consultant ENT surgeon and lecturer Prof Datuk Dr Balwant Singh Gendeh, said rhinosinusitis affected more people than diabetes and congestive heart failure.
He said this in his keynote address themed "Rhinology: Today’s innovations, tomorrow’s solutions" at the 26th International Symposium on Infection and Allergy of the Nose at the Shangri-la Hotel.
Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis also suffer from a poor quality of life, with the disease associated with conditions like asthma and eczema.
Dr Balwant, the chairman of the four-day symposium attended by some 500 participants, said there was a need for more research on all forms of treatment for rhinosinusitis.
On rhinitis, he said it was a reaction in the eyes, nose and throat when airborne irritants triggered the release of histamine.
As for allergic rhinitis, he attributed it to high humidity and poor home ventilation, which led to the breeding of dust mites.