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A tender sinus does not always mean rhinosinusitis
K Naranch1, Y-J Park, M S Repka-Ramirez
1Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007-2097, USA.
Background:
Sinus tenderness has not been quantitatively assessed.
Objective:
We sought to compare sinus and systemic tenderness in rhinosinusitis, allergic rhinitis, and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and healthy (non-CFS) groups.
Methods:
Cutaneous pressures (kg/cm(2)) causing pain at 5 sinus and 18 systemic sites were measured in acute and chronic rhinosinusitis, active allergic rhinitis, healthy non-CFS/no rhinosinusitis, and CFS subjects.
Results:
Sinus thresholds differed significantly (P = 10(-11), ANOVA) between non-CFS/no rhinosinusitis (1.59 +/- 0.14 kg/cm(2), mean +/- 95% CI, n = 117), allergic rhinitis (1.19 +/- 0.31, n = 30), exacerbations of chronic rhinosinusitis (1.25 +/- 0.26, n = 25), non-CFS/chronic rhinosinusitis (1.23 +/- 0.27, n = 23), acute rhinosinusitis (1.10 +/- 0.20, n = 22), CFS/no rhinosinusitis (0.98 +/- 0.15, n = 70), and CFS/chronic rhinosinusitis (0.78 +/- 0.12, n = 56). Systemic pressure thresholds were lower for CFS (1.46 +/- 0.15) than for non-CFS (2.67 +/- 0.22, P = 10(-11)).
Conclusions:
The lower sinus thresholds of rhinosinusitis groups validated the sign of sinus tenderness. Sinus and systemic thresholds were both 44% lower in CFS than in non-CFS subjects, suggesting that systemic hyperalgesia contributed to CFS sinus tenderness and "rhinosinusitis" complaints.
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