European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 9, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sinusitis amp the common cold virus is easy to to by Jane e. Brody the new York times to catch a cold it might not make an enticing movie title but it is a scene played out among americans 500 million times a year. And despite a plethora of preventive advice and an Ever expanding array of commercial remedies there is absolutely no indication that colds Are becoming less common less bothersome or More curable. Colds remain the most common medical reason for lost Days from school and from work and More than a billion dollars a year Are spent on Over the counter nostrums in a usually futile Effort to find Relief from their annoying disruptive symptoms. Even More frustrating Are the attempts most people make to prevent colds. Part of the problem is that some of the most prevalent beliefs about preventing colds have no foundation in fact. A better understanding of How colds Are spread and How they Are not can help people adopt More effective ways to fend them off. Colds Are not caused or encouraged by Quick changes in weather sitting in a draft getting a chill going out in Winter without a hat or with a wet head working too hard or staying up too late. And people rarely catch colds because they kissed someone who had a cold or because a cold sufferer nearby was coughing or sneezing. At least 200 different viruses Are known to cause colds about 30 percent of them in one family of Rhino viruses. This is Why developing a conventional vaccine against cold viruses is not possible. You would have to be immunized against each and every one of the viruses and even then other types might evolve that were not covered by a vaccine. Attempts to produce a generic vaccine Type weapon against the common cold have been singularly unsuccessful. One approach the use of interferon which fights respiratory viruses received a lot of publicity several years ago but proved to cause More Side effects than it was Worth. As people recover from colds they develop an immunity to the virus that caused it but this does not protect you from All the other cold culprits. Nor does it mean that you will remain immune indefinitely to a virus that infected you decades earlier. Although sufferers May blame the invading virus for symptoms most of the discomforts associated with colds Stem from die body s efforts to eliminate the submicroscopic parasites that cause them. Cold viruses attack through the upper passages of the nose entering the body either directly through the nose or through the eyes by Way of the tear ducts that empty into the nasal passages. The virus typically begins its attack on cells in the Throat making a scratchy Throat the usual first sign of an incipient cold. The viruses multiply rapidly within Throat cells then invade cells in the nose. The injured cells set off a counterattack releasing chemicals that cause inflammation and swelling of the infected tissues and creating that typical stuffed up feeling. Within a Day other defences kick in they can cause chills and Achness and a hallmark symptom the Runny nose which in turn can trigger d cough. Happily within several Days to a week the body s defences win the cold War the inflammation subsides mucus production abates and the cold wanes nearly always within 10 Days. A cold that persists for More than two weeks is usually not a cold. It May have evolved into a sinus infection ear infection bronchitis or even pneumonia All of which require medical attention and usually treatment with an Antibiotic. The average adult develops two to three colds a year. Children and Young adults get two to three times As Many colds each year As older adults because their Youthful immune systems Are still vulnerable to All or most of the cold viruses. Children Are further at risk because they congregate closely in play groups at Day care centers and in school and because their hygienic habits often leave a lot to be desired both factors Foster the spread of cold viruses from one child to another. Young children also place their caretakers teachers and parents at risk of a greater number of colds than they might otherwise get. The vulnerable can be hit even before they know that danger lurks because colds Are most easily spread the Day before symptoms appear As Well As during the first two Days of symptoms. Thus it is possible to catch a cold from others who do not yet know they have one. Unlike flu which spreads easily by virus infected droplets in the air cold viruses which live in the upper nasal passages Are far less Likely to be transmitted by coughs and sneezes or even by kisses since the Mouth is not hospitable to cold viruses. Rather cold viruses Are nearly always spread from nose to hand of the infected person then from hand to nose of a healthy but vulnerable victim. There can sometimes be a go Between like a Telephone receiver Doorknob Book or computer keyboard that was used by both individuals within minutes or hours. Of course people with colds usually have Good reason for touching their noses a to blow or mop them. To reduce the risk of viral transmission after blowing one s nose a preferably into a disposable tissue a hands should be washed or failing that cleansed with a wipe and dry. Towelette. If you re sick consider not covering your Mouth with your hand when you cough or sneeze and instead turn your head away and toward the floor. Those who Are around people with colds would be Wise to Wash hands often and to keep their hands off their faces observational studies have shown that the typical healthy american touches his or her nose or eyes about three times an hour. If those innocent fingers have picked up someone s cold virus from a handshake or Doorknob the still Active virus might be deposited in the nose or Eye where it can gain a foothold. Sinusitis some facts about chronic sinusitis a National Center for health statistics lists sinus disease As the nation s most common chronic ailment affecting More than 33 million americans. A definition an infection or inflammation in the sinuses. A symptoms malaise fatigue headaches Post nasal drip cough. Can be vague. A usual treatment Antibiotic for 10 to 14 Days or As Long As three to eight weeks for stubborn infections. Decongestants antihistamines and steroid nasal sprays also May be prescribed. A new technique endoscopic surgery that enlarges sinus opening and restores natural drainage. Using tiny tools surgeon can whittle away obstructions with Little disturbance to healthy tissues. By Maresch the associated press constant headaches grog Giness and Quot an Overall yuck feeling Quot made the last three Winters miserable for Ann Marie Pepe. But this year is different. Pepe is breathing freely and feeling Quot absolutely wonderful Quot thanks to a new surgical technique that does for sick sinuses what arthroscopic surgery does for ailing Knees. Quot it s such a Miracle Quot says Pepe. Quot i m becoming me  Pepe suffered from chronic sinusitis an infection or inflammation in the sinuses. It s a common ailment. The National Center for health statistics lists sinus disease As the nation s most common chronic ailment affecting More than 33 million americans. In addition sinus problems seem to be increasing said or. David Kennedy a Pioneer in diagnosis and treatment of sinusitis. Some say air pollution is to blame. Or. Robert Ivker author of the self help Book sinus survival Calls sinusitis Quot America s first environmental  Kennedy said a study in Finland documented a Rise in sinusitis related to air pollution. But the ailment also can be triggered by colds allergies stress cigarette smoke perfume and even changes in the weather he said. A. Quot membranes swell sinus openings Are blocked secretions build up and bacteria grow Quot Kennedy said. Quot chronic sinusitis is often difficult to diagnose Quot said or. Thomas Edwards an allergist and assistant professor at Albany medical College. Quot the symptoms can be vague. Malaise fatigue headaches Post nasal drip cough. People May Joist live with a soldering  the usual treatment is an Antibiotic for 10 to 14 Days or As Long As three to eight weeks for stubborn infections said Edwards who also conducts clinical studies of drugs. J decongestants antihistamines and steroid nasal sprays also a May be prescribed. Jut sometimes sinusitis lingers despite treatment or it keeps coming Back. In such cases said Edwards a new Type of surgery offers Hope of a cure. Quot i Fejt like i a carrying a Brick Wall on my Back Quot said Pepe 43, of Troy ., describing the debilitating sinusitis that used to ail her All Winter. Last september Pepe s doctor referred her to or. Steven Parnes chief of the department of head and neck surgery at Albany  Medical College. Parnes did surgery to enlarge the sinus openings and restore natural drainage. That surgery used to be a bloody scarring Punj Medure requiring cuts through the face or Gums to reach the sinuses. But in the past few years surgeons have switched to a neater More precise and far less traumatic technique using an endoscope passed through the nose. Diseased tissue and blockages can be viewed through a the scope and on a television Monitor. Using tiny tools an adept surgeon can whittle away obstructions with Little disturbance to healthy tissues. It s usually done on an outpatient basis with sedatives and local aesthetics instead of general anaesthesia Parnes said. Quot surgical treatment of sinusitis has probably become More common Quot As the use of endoscopy has spread said Kennedy chairman of the head Ana neck surgery department at the University of Pennsylvania school of Medicine. Quot we think there were about 100,000 endoscopic surgical procedures in the . In 1990,&Quot said Kennedy who brought the technique to the United states from Australia in 1984. Quot the greatest advantage of the endoscope is the ability to diagnose sinusitis and to see How Well medical treatment is working Quot said Kennedy. Exploring sinuses wit the endoscope has revealed that disease often starts in the Ethmoid area behind the Bridge of the nose Kennedy said. Symptoms May not be Felt until secretions Back up into the larger sinuses. Quot now a lot of people feel that the True underlying cause for sinusitis is just a blockage of the Ethmoid area and that therefore surgery should be done earlier Quot Kennedy said. But the first treatment should be with Medicine Kennedy said. Quot there could be too much enthusiasm for  Quot i think it might become the most common surgical procedure in the United states Given that sinusitis is the most common chronic it Ness Quot said Ivker who advocates a Quot holistic Quot approach to healthy sinuses that includes diet changes vitamins exercise and Saltwater sinus washes. Parnes agrees that the new surgery could be overused. Quot what i see out there Are surgeons who have a Nice technique that has few complications is Well tolerated and it pays  the surgery is so new that charges vary widely up to $8,000, Parnes said. Me Bills his patients about $3,500, including Hospital costs and his fee of about $1,500, which includes follow up care. Quot ill see the patient three or four times Over the first few weeks after surgery cleaning out their dots and scabs Quot he said. Although the surgery is easier on the patient than older techniques it is not without possible complications. Kennedy said rare but serious complications include damaged eyesight and perforation of the brain Case that could cause a serious maybe fatal infection. Quot i would t advise people to Rush into this Quot said Pepe. Quot but for those who need it it makes All the difference in the  the stars and stripes Lues March 9, 1993 the stars and stripes 19