sinuses

[rickoo]

hi there,iv had sinus trouble now for at least 8 years.iv tried all of the nasle sprays,and iv had my nose drilled 3 times,none of that seem to work,wake up every night blocked up that much i cant even breath through my nose at all.feel tierd all day every day,any 1 have any ideas,would much apprieciate it,

[DoubleDose]

This was a major problem for me over several decades when I had active HCV infection.  I have not noticed nearly the same level of problems with sinus blockage since getting the SVR after tx.  I am certain that my sinus issues (as well as dry eye, and lots of dental issues in my twenties) were a direct result of the HCV infection.  I never had any of these problems until in my early twenties when my liver enzymes began to elevate.  Of course many years later I found out what this elevation was caused by!


I would be very curious as to how many out there have noticed a similar connection to their HCV infection with the sinuses.  For years I had to use nasal sprays, medications, etc. none of which had any real effect.  Only getting rid of the virus has seemed to make a big difference.  I would assume that the active virus also causes havoc in soft salivary tissues, creating immune responses, and damage, just as in the liver.  We already know that the virus is saliotropic, and actively infects salivary tissues, from a variety of research articles in the oral surgery and otolaryngological fields attest..

Are there any comments from the people out there on this sinus issue?  I would like to know whether a great proportion of HCV positive persons tend to also have sinus problems.  

DoubleDose

[Myown]

yes I have and NOBODY can tell me its NOT related to HCV. It's only on my right side and if I blow my nose it is not always clear and I do have blood in the tissue also. It is the side that I get 'ear noise."

My brain MRI showed mucous -ONLY on that side - not the other, yet this big wig ENT that my Para doc sent me to, said mucous is normal to see,,,,yes I agree, we have mucous in our body that IS normal, but when it shows up ONLY ON ONE SIDE OF A BRAIN MRI, I would THINK THAT THAT IS NOT NORMAL!!

So this doctor tried to convince me there is nothing wrong, but he wanted a Cat Scan to see more pics or whatever. So anyhow I told him, listen, HCV causes my immune system to be on over charge,,,, I read something about the nose and its epithelial cells are the first area that responds when and invader (virus, toxin etc) comes in...... I said,,, I don't want to enter tx AGAIN WITH SOMETHING draining and DISTRACTING my immune system because when my saftey net gets pulled ( pegasys) and my own body has to fight the occult hcv that might be floating around - that is enough work for a low amount of natural interferon to have to deal with,,,,,BUT IF I STILL have this thing going on with my ear/nose - that can cause my immune system to be distracted from fighting the left over virons and AGAIN they may start to replicate.

Of course they think I am nuts, but I don't care, I know what I am talking about as far as I am concerned. So I called my Para doc and left a message and he was nice enough to call me from his car phone on the way to the airport (what a doll!) and I told him, I am so sick of haivng a disease that NOBODY knows how to connect the dots and none of these doctors realize that THIS DISEASE IS AFFECTING OUR ENTIRE SYSTEM AND  a person should NOT enter treatment until EVERY little infection has been dealt with....And then I told him that it feels like bill murrays ground hogs day cause just as no one would believe me (except the para doc) that the excess mucous was abnormal in my stool , I said this ENT that you sent me to, thinks nothing of the "not clear" mucous and blood.
He asked "when is your next appointment," I told him,,,he said "tell the doctor to call me when you are there." This para doc is really something and if you had any idea how famous he is and who goes to him and who has gone to him, it would amaze you that he took the time to call some nobody hepper like me. But anyhow, as you can see I am at wits end with this sinus ear thing.
My only hope right now (besides God) is the Alinia cause believe it or not - my sinuses seems a bit better since I am on Alinia,,,which leads me to believe the sinus problem is viral:)

Sinus problems will etiher be viral, bacterial or fungal and IF a doctor doesn't identify what type of infection it is and he uses the wrong med - it only will make it worse.

See,, I wondered why this ENT didn't take some type of sample off the lining of my sinuses to see if he could identify which of the 3 it is. Maybe I am off base, but that would seem the logical thing to do.

Sorry for the long post, but it wouldn't be me if it was short:)

[Bobby1952]

I have had sinus problems since before I was diagnosed also. I also have dry mouth and lips. Which I believe to be HCV related but cannot prove. If I achieve SVR then I will see if there is any change.

Bobby

[DoubleDose]

I think you have this figured out pretty well.  The real problem is that the doctors out there, for the most part, have not figured it out, and are not really listening too closely to their patients, nor looking too hard at the whole person.  I would bet that many, many of the people infected with HCV have experienced various 'extra-hepatic' issues, but since they are often more subtle, or are not life threatening, the medical community just assumes that it must be just 'normal' stuff, and not connected to the HCV.  Of course, since when are chronic, year-round, unfixable sinus problems normal?  Or the people who develop massive dental caries, dry eye syndrome, and other Sjogren's -like symptoms...are they just having 'normal' problems?  Well at least there have been a bunch of articles describing the HCV provoked "Sjogren's-like" syndrome that often accompanies HCV.  But if you asked the average Gastroenterologist, or Hepatologist, how many would have a clear understanding of how HCV causes these problems?

This sinus and dry eye issue is one that I wrestled with for over twenty years, coming on out of the blue, and never getting any good answers, or treatment that worked.  Of course it was because it was being constantly provoked by the HCV!  ( Oh yes, another subject, I also had chronic gastro and digestive issues over those same years!)

This is also the reason that I often fear some form of non-blood infection, that might transmit within salivary tissues, etc. to intimate contacts.  These are the sorts of things that have cropped up in my intimate contacts, and even family members, over the past years.   This has happened 'out of the blue' in people who had no history of these sorts of problems.  They are, by the way, HCV negative on standard blood-based'  antibody testing for HCV.  So I guess my concerns are multiplied, by this other issue, which I see evidence of on a regular basis.  Though there is no research or studies that state clearly that this might be a possibility, I still remain observant, and concerned as to what the connection might be.  

The other problem is the relative lack of  attention and research dollars being allocated to the study of HCV.  It is a very lightly funded area by comparison to many other viral and other health issues.  

Let's hear more feedback on the possible sinus connection to HCV.  I am sure that everyone has not had the identical problems, but I would like to hear how many do, and how many have not.

DoubleDose

[Myown]

The real problem is that the doctors out there, for the most part, have not figured it out, and are not really listening too closely to their patients, nor looking too hard at the whole person.  I would bet that many, many of the people infected with HCV have experienced various 'extra-hepatic' issues, but since they are often more subtle, or are not life threatening, the medical community just assumes that it must be just 'normal' stuff, and not connected to the HCV.
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Yes,that is it - so frustrating too.