Grand Rapids Reporter

With the recent celebration of Presidents Day, it is worth noting that two revered presidents — John F. Kennedy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt were heavy smokers with sinus problems.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum reports that Kennedy had acute sinusitis that was generally relieved with antibiotics.

Roosevelt’s White House doctor was Ross McIntire, an ENT specialist, who was greatly concerned about Roosevelt's sinus problems, according to The University of Arizona.

Roosevelt was treated nightly for his sinus problems which “plagued him greatly,” according to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

The New York Times reports that Roosevelt was also a heavy smoker.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information reports that smoking cigarettes could play a chief role “in diseases of the upper airway including chronic rhinosinusitis.”

Dr. Daniel Mongiardo, with the Sleep and Sinus Center, said that unfortunately everyone knows someone who is a cigarette smoker, which can accelerate sinus issues.   

“Unfortunately, a large population of my patients have smokers in the household or they smoke themselves,” Mongiardo said. “And I tried to aggressively ask them and to coax them into trying to get rid of the cigarettes, because cigarette smoke is all they're doing is paying somebody to cause damage to their health, and it causes a lot of problems. So, we try to encourage them to get rid of it to have a healthy environment as well.”

Mongiardo added that patients often need encouragement from their friends and family in order to quit.

“Quitting smoking is one of the hardest things there is because it's very, very difficult. It's a terrible addiction,” Mongiardo said. “It's very difficult to stop. Most patients of mine want to stop. It's just so hard for them to stop. And sometimes they just need a little bit of encouragement to help them stop.”

Dr. Khanna Manish, with Capitol Breathe Free Sinus and Allergy, said that cigarette smoking can lead to inflammation if you're a sinus sufferer.

“Because it opens into the back of the nasal passages when there is inflammation in our nasal passages from a bacterial infection from significant allergies from what's called a chemical rhinitis when the nose is inflamed,” Manish said. “From say you know inhaling fumes or cigarette smoke or such, the eustachian tube gets inflamed and it doesn't function as well, so it can lead to increased pressure feeling in the patient's ears, it can lead to fluid buildup in their middle ears as well.”

PubMed reported that balloon sinuplasty is a safe and effective procedure for chronic rhinosinusitis with long-term benefits.  

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