Air date: December 6, 2009

Host: Jeremy Shere, PhD

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Did you Know? is presented by Wishard Health Services, becoming Eskenazi Health in 2014.

Did you know that a badly stuffed up nose may be linked to depression?

A stuffy nose isn't always a red flag for depression, of course. But it could be when the stuffiness is a result of sinusitis, when nasal passages become swollen congested.

A recent study looking at 73 sinusitis patients found that more than 20% suffered from major depression.

Sinusitis can be debilitating, causing breathing difficulties, facial swelling, and headaches -- which would no doubt be depressing. Sinusitis can also cut into sleep, leading to fatigue and stress -- factors strongly associated with depression.

But the study does not go so far as to say that sinusitis causes depression. It's possible that people with depression are somehow more prone to sinusitis.

And now you know.

Additional Resources:

• Alll you need to know about sinus infections, at WebMD.
• This clinical trial studying the link between sinusitis and depression is currently recruiting patients.

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