The study, published in the American Journal of Rhinology, developed a profile of protein biomarkers for sinusitis sufferers that could allow for monitoring the effectiveness of current therapies as well as for objective review of new treatments.

The researchers used a sophisticated research tool that rapidly assesses expression of large numbers of proteins and found among 96 chronic sinusitis patients a profile missing in 38 healthy controls.

"We can diagnose this disease with a totally objective test that does not depend on symptoms or observations," study corresponding author Dr. Stilianos E. Kountakis of the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine.

"The bottom line is we want to group patients according to their disease rather than just the general term chronic sinusitis -- if we can find a way to classify patients, group them together based on the specific disease they have, maybe we can get better outcomes and treat patients with better efficiency."

The researchers used a sophisticated research tool that rapidly assesses expression of large numbers of proteins and found among 96 chronic sinusitis patients a profile missing in 38 healthy controls.