Chronic sinusitis affects more than 30 million people annually with an estimated annual cost of $2.4 billion. It is one of the most common chronic diseases in the United States. Chronic sinusitis is defined as a group of disorders characterized by inflammation of the mucosa of the nose and paranasal sinuses causing symptoms such as facial pain, nasal congestion, and nasal drainage of at least 12 consecutive weeks’ duration.

Multiple pathogenic factors contribute to chronic sinusitis. This disorder is often treated with medication and, in some cases, surgery to remove anatomic obstruction to drainage and allow the sinuses to ventilate. It is often refractory to aggressive medical treatment and surgery, and quality of life can be significantly diminished. Many of those who suffer from chronic sinusitis utilize complementary and alternative therapies in their search for relief.Acupuncture and other forms of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are becoming increasingly popular in the United States for the treatment of various conditions including chronic sinusitis. Previous studies and anecdotal evidence suggest that acupuncture may be effective in the treatment of chronic sinusitis. Rigorous clinical research in CAM will provide evidence-based answers that many members in the conventional biomedical community require before endorsing a new treatment modality.

This randomized, controlled, single-blinded study will evaluate the effect of adding acupuncture to standard medical treatment on indicators of chronic sinusitis, namely quality of life, as measured by radiographic imaging, physical examination, and self-reported symptoms and disability. We hypothesize that the addition of acupuncture will produce measurable improvements in these key outcome variables. Evaluation of strategies employed and preliminary data gathered from this trial will facilitate implementation of a larger randomized, controlled trial of acupuncture for chronic sinusitis.

The aims of the study are:

1. To perform a randomized, controlled single-blinded trial to evaluate the effect of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture on chronic sinusitis. Primary outcome measures will include CT scan, nasal endoscopy, a disease-specific symptom measure and general health-related quality of life measures.

2. To evaluate the feasibility of study methods, recruiting strategies, intervention and sham, and overall management of the study in preparation for a larger randomized, controlled trial of acupuncture for chronic sinusitis.