There should be more awareness of Sinusitis symptoms and treatments. Sinusitis is a major health problem that’s often taken too lightly. There are roughly 31 million people in the USA alone, who is affected by Sinusitis. With billions of dollars spent each year to get over-counter medications to treat it and millions of doctor visit. Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses. Caused by bacterial or germ infection, sometimes also caused by viruses and fungi.
Healthy sinuses are filled with air but when they got blocked and filled with fluid, germs and bacteria can grow and cause infections. It gets worse for people with weak immune system, as they are more likely to develop bacterial or fungal sinus infection. Also, people with allergies could catch allergic fungal sinus infection. Sinus infection will stop the proper flow of mucus from the sinuses to the back of the throat. The blocked sinuses will then get infected and causes tiny nasal tissues to well. Which then traps mucus in the sinuses.
Types Of Sinusitis
There other conditions that may block the sinus; common cold, allergic rhinitis, nasal polyps and A deviated septum.In most cases, sinusitis could last for more than 7 days. It’s very important to know Sinusitis symptoms and treatments. Untreated sinusitis could cause a massive discomfort and lead to something more serious like meningitis, a brain abscess or a bone infection. Always consult to your doctor.
There are some types of sinusitis with different symptoms that you should know:
Acute sinusitis
Usually starts cold like symptoms, such as: stuffy nose, facial pain or pressure, blocked nose, runny nose, loss of smell, cough, fever, bad breath, fatigue, dental pain and congestion. Note that if you experience two or more symptoms, you’re your mucus looks thick green or yellow, you might have Acute Sinusitis. This could last for 2 to 4 weeks.
Subacute sinus inflammation
Some symptoms to look out for: A feeling of congestion or fullness in your face, nasal blockage, pus in naval cavity, fever, runny nose, headaches, bad breath, tooth pain and discolored mucus discharge. The symptoms could last to 4 to 12 weeks. These symptoms are not exclusive to sinusitis, so you should consult a doctor as soon as possible before it gets worse.
Chronic inflammation symptoms lasts 12 weeks or longer
Could be caused by an infection, nasal polyps or swelling of the lining of your sinuses. Sometimes called chronic rhinosinusitis, this condition could affect adults and children. Breathing will be difficult and the area around your eyes might be swollen or tender. Chronic inflammation may continue to cause swollen and inflammation for three months or longer despite being treated.
Certain signs and symptoms of chronic sinusitis are: nasal inflammation. Thick and discolored discharge from the nose, postnasal drainage, nasal obstruction or congestion, pain, tenderness and swelling around your eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead and reduced or loss sense of smell and taste.
And additional symptoms such as: ear pain, aching in your upper jaw and teeth, cough, sore throat, bad breath and fatigue. Chronic and acute sinusitis both have similar symptoms. Acute sinusitis is more of a temporary infection and often associated with cold. You may have several cases of acute sinusitis symptoms before developing chronic sinusitis. Fever isn’t closely related to chronic sinusitis but maybe related to acute sinusitis.
Recurrent sinusitis. Could happen several times a year
For most people the symptoms are the same. You should take notice of certain uneasiness such as Inside the nose swelling. Similar to when you caught a common cold, Narrower ducts, Nasal polyps, blocked drainage ducts and infections and smoking.
For children, there are certain conditions and things that may cause sinusitis such as Pacifiers, Allergies, drinking from a bottle while lying on the back, illnesses from other kids at school or day care center and smoke in the environment.
The symptoms of sinusitis often mistaken to a common cold. Can’t blame them, since they are pretty much the same. But unlike a cold, sinus infection symptoms may be caused by bacterial infections, that may require antibiotics.
Treatments
Simple sinus infection shouldn’t be too difficult to cure. Your doctor might recommend you a decongestant and saline nasal wash. Be careful though, you shouldn’t use an over-the-counter decongestant for more than 3 days. Otherwise, it might cause you more congested. Decongestant works by shrinking swollen blood vessels and tissues, thus relieves the congestion. Decongestants come in many forms; pills, liquids, nose drops and nasal sprays and many of them are available without a prescription. Please always consult a doctor when you have: Glaucoma, high blood pressure, heart conditions, thyroid problems, enlarged prostate and diabetes before consuming decongestants to avoid any unwanted complications.
Sometimes doctors give antibiotics, that might have to be taken for 10 to1 4 days. Antibiotics are usually be given to patients who suffer from some kind of virus attacks or infections. There are some things you can do to ease the effect of sinusitis.
- Warm compress can ease the pain in the nose and sinuses.
- Saline nose drops can be safely used at home.
- Over-the-counter decongestant drops or sprays. Use them no more than 3 days.
In the medical world, preventing a disease is always better than curing it. Preventing sinusitis infections should be simple enough.
- Don’t smoke and stay away from people who smoke to avoid second-hand smoking which is actually worse than smoking yourself.
- Wash your hands often and keep them clean. Train yourself to not touch your face too often.
- If you have allergies, stay away from things you’re allergic to.
Structural issues (deviated septum), may need surgery to cure. Polyps or if the sinusitis is very persistent, surgery may also be needed. Surgery is always the last resort when it comes to curing sinusitis.
There is really no reason to let your sinus symptoms go bad. Sinus infections are easy to treat. Stopping the infections early will avoid later symptoms and complications. Learning about sinusitis symptoms and treatments is not to be underestimated.
