What is Acute Sinusitis?
Sinuses are air spaces present in the bones that make up our face and head. These spaces are such designed so that the bones are light.
Inflammation of these air spaces in called sinusitis. This may happen due to some infection or allergy that affects this region.
How To Know if You Have Sinusitis?
The following signs and symptoms suggest that your sinuses are affected-
- Headache, that is dull and continuous, usually localized to a portion of the head. If you press upon tae affected area of the head with your fingers, it would pain.
- Press deeply over the areas where sinuses are present, you may feel some tenderness or pain there. These areas include- cheek region adjacent to the nose, area over the eyebrows.
- Pain in any of the teeth or in the ear
- Mild to sever fever
- feeling stuffy or chocked
- Feeling saliva stuck in the throat
- Cough may be there
- Pain in throat and redness there
- Nasal discharge, which may be clear, turbid or yellowish in color
- In sever cases, the area over the eyebrows or the cheek may be seen swelled
- Symptoms of cough and cold, that are not responding to medications and persists for more than a week
- General fatigue and weakness
- Inability to concentrate on work
Anybody may get infection there in the sinuses. However, presence of certain factors may make you prone to getting it. Some of these include having a history of nasal allergies, deviated nasal septum, any growth in the nose that blocks it partially, weakened immune systems as in malnutrition.
Management
The problem is that there’s infected fluid collected in your sinuses. This is giving you the pain and pressure feeling.
So, the remedy would draining that fluid out. Try the following steps when you get sinus problem-
Take steam to thin out secretions collected in the sinuses. This would help in draining it better and quicker.
Blow out and try taking out mucous from your nasal passages.
Nasal sprays, containing any corticosteroid, may be used. This would reduce swelling and overall inflammatory process going on in your sinuses.
Sinuses may be drained by using Neti pot or sinus rinse kits, that are available in the market.
A decongestant or a mucolytic medication may be taken for help, if required.
Most cases of sinusitis are viral or allergic in origin. These cases may start getting better with the above steps. If, however, you don’t feel better in a week, there are chances that there’s a bacterial infection going on in there and you need antibiotics.
In such cases,see an ENT at the earliest to avoid complications.
Antibiotics of choice in acute sinusitis include Levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, and amoxicillin/clavulanate.
Complications
If left untreated, the infection grows inside the sinus and may spread to nearby areas. It may affect the outer linings of the brain, giving rise to a condition called meningitis.
This condition is associated with excruciating headaches and high fever. It is difficult to treat. Infected fluid may get collected in some location in the brain, giving rise to a brain abscess.
