Richmond Leader

Dr. John Ditto, a surgeon at Richmond Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers, knows a thing or two about balloon sinuplasty, a relatively new procedure that provides relief to patients suffering from sinus infections and other sinus ailments.

"Chronic sinusitis can affect the rest of your health in multiple ways," Ditto told the Richmond Leader.

Dr. John Ditto | Richmond Breathe Free

Chronic sinusitis can impede breathing, which can decrease exercise tolerance, and is associated with sleep apnea and mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, according to Ditto.

"There's been some association with -- and it's kind of interesting that sinusitis would cause this issue -- there has been a study that looked at erectile dysfunction and sinusitis," Ditto said. "Now, we know that if you have obstructive sleep apnea, that causes nasal obstruction, and that is combined together to cause obstructive sleep apnea. So if your nose is obstructed because of chronic sinusitis, and you have sleep apnea, you can't sleep at night, then your sleep apnea is going to cause problems with male sexual function. And so there's a correlation."

Unfortunately, chronic sinusitis sufferer can go a long time without really know what's wrong.

"I felt pressure on my face all the time," one of Ditto's patients, Lauren Zuk, told the Richmond Leader. "I had horrible headaches. I could sleep 11 hours and still not feel refreshed."

Chronic sinusitis affects 28.9 million American adults, or 11% of the adult population in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 2018 study found that 60% to 75% of chronic sinusitis sufferers also suffer from poor sleep, according to Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy. A 2017 study of sleep disruption in chronic rhinosinusitis tracked multiple chronic symptoms in a large number of patients with sleep impairment.

Ditto, a board-certified otolaryngology head and neck surgeon, is a fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy who received his medical degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine. He did his post-medical school training in disorders of the ear, nose and throat at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. During his residency, Ditto's research was published in the Archives of Otolaryngology, and post-residency he completed a fellowship in otology at the University of Michigan.

Early in 2020, Ditto opened the Richmond Sinus & Allergy Centers, where he focuses on minimally invasive treatments and helping patients find relief with balloon sinus procedures, in which he has about 14 years of experience.