Sinusitis (Sinus Infection)

If you’ve been feeling stuffy or congested, waking up with a headache, and noticing swelling around your eyes, you may have sinusitis. Sinusitis can be inconvenient or even painful at times, but it’s usually not severe.

Sinusitis is an inflammation, or swelling, of the tissue lining the sinuses. Normally, sinuses are filled with air, but when sinuses become blocked and filled with fluid, germs (bacteria, viruses, and fungi) can grow and cause an infection.

It can be due to infection, allergy, or autoimmune problems. Most cases are due to a viral infection and resolve over the course of 10 days.

The sinuses

You’ve got four pairs of sinuses in your head. They can be Found:

• Behind your forehead
• Either side of the bridge of your nose
• Behind your eyes
• Behind your cheekbones

Causes of Sinusitis (Sinus Infection)

Sinus infection could possibly be caused by any situation that interferes with airflow in to the sinuses and the particular drainage of mucus out from the sinuses. The sinus openings (ostea) could possibly be blocked by swelling in the tissue lining and also adjacent nasal verse tissue, for case with common colds, allergy symptoms, and tissue irritants like OTC nasal sprays, cocaine, and cigarette smoke. Sinuses can likewise become blocked by means of tumors or growths which have been near the nose openings.

Sinus infection

The drainage of mucous from the sinuses can also be impaired by thickening of the mucous secretions, by decrease in hydration (water content) of the mucous brought on by disease (for example, cystic fibrosis), drying medications (antihistamines), and lack of sufficient humidity in the air. The epithelial cells have small hairlike fibers, called cilia, which move back and forth to help the mucus move out of the sinuses. These small cilia may be damaged by many irritants, especially smoke. This can prevent them from assisting the mucus in draining from the sinuses.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptoms of sinusitis are:

Pain

One of the most common and scare-full symptoms of Sinusitis (Sinus Infection) is pain. You have several different sinuses above and below your eyes, and behind your nose. Any of these can hurt when you have a sinus infection.

Sinus Discharge

Pain from a sinus infection is no fun, and the nasal discharge isn’t great either. When you have a sinus infection, you may need to blow your nose often because of a greenish-yellow discharge. This comes from your infected sinuses and drains into your nasal passages.

Headache

The relentless pressure and swelling in your sinuses can reverberate throughout your skull and leave you with a massive headache. The pain can also show up in places you might not expect.

Some other symptoms Includes:

• Cough
• A blocked or runny nose
• Sore Throat
• Facial pain and tenderness
• A high temperature (fever) of 38°c (100.4°f) or more