Vijay Ramakrishnan MD

Research Description

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a highly prevalent and extremely burdensome disease that more commonly affects women. It inflicts a severe quality-of-life impairment, including symptoms such as headache, sleep dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, and depression. How sinus inflammation causes these effects is not entirely clear. However, it is increasingly apparent that these non-sinus related symptoms are often what drive patients to seek medical care in CRS. Dr. Ramakrishnan hypothesizes that women with CRS suffer from a higher symptom burden than men. The goal of his research is to advance our understanding of how sex influences the presentation, patient-specific needs, and therapeutic goals in CRS. Ultimately, such knowledge has the potential to impact how medical and surgical therapy are used in CRS.