Sinus surgery clears up fatigue, too, study shows

People who suffer from sinusitis list chronic fatigue as one of their most troubling symptoms, equal to facial pain and a blocked nose. Sometimes their exhaustion is explained as sick building syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome or multiple chemical sensitivity.

But an analysis led by a group including a Boston researcher shows that surgery to clear clogged sinuses appears to substantially improve their energy too.

Senior author Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, along with researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center, St. Louis University School of Medicine, and Oregon Health and Science University, looked at 28 studies of 3,427 patients who had endoscopic sinus surgery to remove blockages. All the studies showed that patients who reported fatigue before surgery said their energy had returned to normal levels an average of one year later, the authors report today in Laryngoscope.

“Finally we have good, scientifically consistent evidence that fatigue will very often improve significantly after surgery,” Bhattacharyya said in a statement released with the study.