Rhinitis-Sinusitis

[cooter]

I was diagnosed possible Rhinitis in the service back in 1972. I went to a ENT specialist last week and diagnosed with septal deviation and chronic sinusitis. Their doing a sleep study next week and an allergy test in 2 weeks. My nose feels like Hoover Dam when they release the water.ha. Here's my questions;

Once your diagnosed, like me in 72. Can VA come back and say it was only temperary?

Is Rhinitis, sinusitis, and allergies rated as one?

Are there any secondary problems that can be claimed for this?

Thanks!!!

[Hoppy]

Stillhere,

I was not trying to discredit you. I actually said in so many words that you did a better job of explaining the medical merits than the SO did. I also respect your honest opinion and agree that you should never under estimate the ability of the VA to be adversarial. However, it is my honest opinion that when it comes to the medical merits I do not feel it is appropriate for anybody without medical expertise to predict the outcome of their own claim or anybody else's claim. It is a free country and if an individual wants to consider forgoing a claim because they decided to play doctor and failed to properly assess the strength of the medical merits of their own claim or they are not ready for the battle then that is their choice.

I have a preference for posting BVA cases. I feel they are stronger than peoples opinions based on generalized application of non specific outcomes about the strength of a case. Rather than wonder how many BVA cases were denied it would be better to post some losers for people to consider. Reading the losers can help uncover problems that will result in strengthening the claim. The reason I post BVA cases is so that the veteran will go to the search engine and do their own research. However, I start by posting winners. I do not always have time to research every angle to every claim.

I have assisted several veterans who regretted playing doctor and adjudicator and gave up on their own claims prior to a C&P exam and who were later awarded service connection when the claim was refiled and fully developed without going to appeal. I do not handicap the medical merits of any claim before the claim is filed. My point is that the medical merits of a claim are often complex and not only is it hard for the VA to figure out what is going on it is also hard for the veteran to figure out how strong the medical merit of a claim is. This is complicated by the fact that many veterans log on to hadit and have not even read the medical records in decades.

There are so many presumptive diseases. actual diseases and injuries that manifest with different symptoms at different times in a individuals life that a veteran reviewing the file and a SO reviewing the file is not adequate. These obscure diseases and delayed symptoms of injuries are not so rare. I have two of them and there have been many other veterans here over the years with complex medical symptomoloigy.

I say if you have any post service condition that you do not known exactally how or why you have this condition based on a medical opinion then file a claim. Hopefully the VA will schedule a C&P, if not , then an IMO is the other option.

Edited September 12, 2010 by Hoppy

[militarynurse]

Here's what the American Association of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery states:

"Rhinosinusitis: Clarifying The Relationship Between The Sinuses And Rhinitis

Recent studies by otolaryngologist–head and neck surgeons have better defined the association between rhinitis and sinusitis. They have concluded that sinusitis is often preceded by rhinitis and rarely occurs without concurrent rhinitis. The symptoms, nasal obstruction/discharge and loss of smell, occur in both disorders. Most importantly, computed tomography (CT scan) findings have established that the mucosal linings of the nose and sinuses are simultaneously involved in the common cold (previously, thought to affect only the nasal passages). Otolaryngologists, acknowledging the inter-relationship between the nasal and sinus passages, now refer to sinusitis as rhinosinusitis.

The catalyst relating the two disorders is thought to involve nasal sinus overflow obstruction, followed by bacterial colonization and infection leading to acute, recurrent, or chronic sinusitis. Likewise, chronic inflammation due to allergies can lead to obstruction and subsequent sinusitis."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinusitis

The VA's rating criteria hasn't always kept up with the latest medical studies so it can be a bit dated. Odds are if you have rhinitis you either already have or will develop sinusitus, (which generally has a more favorable compensation rating), It would seem that sinusitus that developed from rhinitus should be considered a secondary condition for rating purposes. http://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-0960N-4-ARE.pdf

The key sentence above is "Otolaryngologists, acknowledging the inter-relationship between the nasal and sinus passages, now refer to sinusitis as rhinosinusitis"

As simple way of explaining this to me, a VA ENT doctor stated: If you have a mostly a runny nose, it's rhinitus. If you have mostly a cough, it's discharge running down your throat so that's sinusitis.

Be it allergic, acute or chronic, rhinosinusitis is sinusitus, (not rhinitus), and should be rated by the VA accordingly. To confirm this, please see info from the Mayo Clinic and John Hopkins Sinus Center links below:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/acute-sinusitis/basics/definition/con-20020609; and,

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-sinusitis/basics/definition/con-20022039

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/sinus/sinus_conditions/rhinosinusitis.html

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/sinus/sinus_conditions/rhinosinusitis.html

BVA: "ORDER Service connection for sleep apnea secondary to service-
connected sinusitis is granted on the basis of aggravation." http://www.va.gov/vetapp03/files/0336453.txt

BVA: "ORDER The claim of entitlement to service connection for headaches
as secondary to allergic rhinitis with epistaxis is granted" http://www.va.gov/vetapp07/files3/0727799.txt

Edited July 6, 2014 by militarynurse

[Stretch]

This post, that you are posting too, is two years old. It's OK cause the information is good anyway.

[jbasser]

Military Nurse, why dont you make this a new topic under Medication health issues as a good reference as we have a lot of vets that suffer from this condition.

J

[shipswriter]

I believe CRS (chronic rhinosinusitis) is the otolaryngology nationally recognized condition which 'military nurse' was obviously referring to.