Acute Sinusitis

Acute sinusitis comes with many debilitating symptoms. Some of these include sinus headache, facial pain, fever, sore throat and persistent cough.

Sinus infection or sinusitis usually follows if a person with the common cold or viral influenza takes too long a time to recover. This is because nasal congestion associated with both illnesses affects the natural ventilation of the nasal passages including the paranasal sinuses.

The clogged up sinuses presents an ideal breeding ground for bacteria to proliferate. Bacterial sinus infection develops if the immune system of the person is impaired and the body is then unable to fend off the infection.

Classification of sinusitis

1. Mild sinusitis

2. Acute sinusitis

3. Chronic sinusitis

Mild sinusitis is the condition where sinus infection symptoms are not pronounced. This means that the patient is able to tolerate the slight discomfort exhibited at the early stages. In this instance, there will not be any need for antibiotics to be prescribed since most people are able to recover on their own without any medication for minor illnesses.

Acute sinusitis occurs when the human body is unable to contain the infection without medication. In other words, the infection has become full blown with all the debilitating symptoms experienced by the patient.

Acute sinusitis symptoms

1. Pain and discomfort felt in the areas close to the infected paranasal sinus. The pain is the result of thick, jelly-like mucus which cannot be drained out from the ostium, which is the small opening from the paranasal sinus. This causes sinus pressure to increase which then translates into sinus pain.

Sinus pain presents itself as a dull ache in the front of the head just above the eyebrows when the fontal sinuses are infected. If the maxillary sinuses are affected, there will be pain and tenderness felt in the cheek area. Infected ethmoid sinus causes pain between the eyes.

2. Nasal congestion and blocked nose. When the sinuses are infected, the mucosal lining becomes inflamed and this leads to abnormal production of thick, glue-like, yellowish-green mucus which is difficult to drain. The air-exchange within the sinuses then becomes degraded allowing more bacteria to multiply thereby causing a vicious cycle.

3. Persistent cough. This is mainly caused by the drainage of sticky mucus down the throat. Normal mucus secreted from the sinus mucosa is thin and clear and when it drains into the throat, one will not even feel it.

4. Sore throat. This is closely associated with sinus infection mucus draining as coughing episodes can lead to inflammation and bacterial infection of the throat.

5. Fever. When the bacterial infection spreads and cannot be contained by the body’s natural immune system, a fever starts.

Acute sinusitis treatment

Acute sinusitis treatment involves prescription drugs to combat the debilitating acute sinusitis symptoms experienced by the patient. To alleviate nasal congestion, decongestants such as pseudoephedrine are often prescribed.

However, if there is a bacterial infection, antibiotics has to be taken as well. Find out which is the best acute sinusitis antibiotic? If the Eustachian tubes are blocked or clogged up, steroid nasal sprays may also be indicated to reduce the inflammation. NASONEX® and Nasacort® are popular with ENT specialists.

Home remedies for sinusitis

There are several proven home remedies for sinusitis. These includes steam inhalation, consumption of apple cider vinegar and nasal irrigation. Acute sinusitis nasal irrigation could be conducted with the help of a neti pot.

While sinusitis is a condition that rarely causes death, it is important to note that an untreated, mild sinus infection could subsequently lead to chronic sinusitis. Chronic sinusitis is extremely difficult to treat even with today’s range of modern medicine.