Newly published evidence suggests that the millions of people who suffer from chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and who complain of brain fog might be experiencing measurable deficits involving memory and cognitive tasks.

Newly published evidence suggests that the millions of people who suffer from chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and who complain of brain fog might be experiencing measurable deficits involving memory and cognitive tasks.

“The preponderance of literature up to now has been based on patients self-reporting symptoms on surveys. We wanted to incorporate objective measurements of a variety of tasks that have been well established to measure brain functioning,” said Dr. Aria Jafari, the study’s lead author. He is a surgeon and an assistant professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

The paper was published Jan. 25 in the International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology.

Sinuses are the skull and face bone cavities that connect with the nasal passages. Sinusitis, an inflammation of sinus tissues, is one of the most common chronic conditions in the United States, with a prevalence of 10% to 12% of adults. The condition hugely affects not only healthcare systems but also workplaces due to lost productivity among employees whose concentration and executive function are adversely affected, Jafari said.

[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alr.23320](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/alr.23320)