East Indy News

• One of the most common misdiagnoses is chronic sinusitis and migraine
• The primary cause of migraine is still unknown
• 99% of patients were misdiagnosed at primary care or in the emergency room

Researchers are sharing evidence showing that chronic sinusitis and migraines both present similar symptoms, which often cause them to be misdiagnosed for one another.

Migraines have similar symptoms to other conditions. One of those conditions, chronic sinusitis, which is also referred to as nose inflammation, is thought to potentially trigger migraines.

"A sinus headache can be a lot of things to different people because it's like any headache; there's different levels of it," Dr. Anthony Sanders at Indianapolis Sinus Center told East Indy News. "But you know, to me a sinus headache is a headache that's generated by nasal or sinus problems. It's usually more of a pressure-type headache, but it can be severe pain at times, especially if you have a sinus that's almost formed an abscess. It can be facial pain; it can be radiating down to the teeth. With the sphenoid sinus, it can radiate to the back of the head and neck and catch people off-guard sometimes when they have more of a posterior sinus headache."

According to WebMD, one particular study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain reveals that one of the most common misdiagnoses is sinusitis and migraines, especially if they are linked to symptoms such as sinus headache, dry sinus headache or a severe sinus headache. The study concluded that out of 113 participants, 106 of them -- or roughly 81% -- were misdiagnosed.

According to the American Migraine Foundation, both migraine attacks and sinus headaches can cause facial pain, watery eyes and postnasal drip. These shared symptoms contribute to the misdiagnosis and self-diagnosis of sinus headaches.

The primary cause of migraine headaches is still unknown. One study published in The Journal of Craniofacial Surgery was conducted to determine the correlation between sinusitis and migraines, only to report that further investigation and a clinic trial is necessary.

A study completed by University of Michigan found that 99% of 114 participants were misdiagnosed as having chronic sinusitis when their diagnosis came from the emergency department of a hospital or their primary care physician. This indicates that the best diagnosis comes from an inflammation specialist, or otolaryngologist. 

To learn more about sinusitis or to take a sinus self-assessment quiz, visit Indianapolis Sinus Center.