Description

Acute sinusitis causes the spaces inside your nose, is known as the sinuses, which are inflamed and swollen. Acute sinusitis makes it difficult for the sinuses to drain. Mucus builds up.

Acute sinusitis can make it difficult to breathe through the nose. The area around the eyes and face might feel swollen. It could be a stabbing pain in the face or a headache.

The common cold is the most common cause of acute sinusitis. Most often, the condition resolves within a week to 10 days, unless there is also an infection caused by a bacterium, called a bacterial infection. Home remedies may be all that is needed for the treatment of acute sinusitis. Sinusitis that lasts more than 12 weeks, even with treatment, a doctor is called chronic sinusitis.

Symptoms

Acute sinusitis, symptoms often include:

  • Thick, yellow or greenish mucus from the nose, known as stuffy nose, or down in the back of the throat, known as postnasal drip.
  • Blocked or stuffy nose, known as congestion. This makes it difficult to breathe through the nose.
  • The pain, swelling and pressure around eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead, that gets worse when bending over.

Other signs and symptoms include:

  • The pressure in the ear.
  • The pain of a headache.
  • Pain in the teeth.
  • Changed the sense of smell.
  • For cough.
  • The bad breath.
  • Fatigue.
  • Fever.

When to see a doctor

The majority of people with acute sinusitis do not need to see a health care provider.

Contact your health care provider if you have any of the following:

  • Symptoms that last more than a week.
  • Symptoms that get worse after seeming to get better.
  • A fever that lasts.
  • A history of repeated or chronic sinusitis.

See a doctor right away if you have symptoms that could mean a serious infection:

  • Pain, swelling or redness around the eyes.
  • High fever.
  • Confusion.
  • Double vision, or other vision changes.
  • Stiffness in the neck.

Causes

Acute sinusitis is an infection caused by a virus. The common cold is most often the cause. Sometimes, the sinuses that are blocked for a period of time, you might have a bacterial infection.

Risk factors

The following factors may increase your risk of getting sinusitis:

  • Hay fever or other allergy that affects the paranasal sinuses.
  • A common cold affecting the sinuses.
  • A problem on the inside of the nose such as a deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps or tumors.
  • A medical condition , such as cystic fibrosis or a disorder of the immune system, such as HIV/AIDS.
  • Being around smoke, whether from smoking or being around people that smoke, known as second-hand smoke.

Complications

Acute sinusitis usually does not cause complications. The complications that can occur include:

  • Chronic sinusitis. Acute sinusitis may be an outbreak of a long-term problem known as chronic sinusitis. Chronic sinusitis lasts longer than 12 weeks.
  • Meningitis. This infection affects the membranes and fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord.
  • Other infections. It is not common. But an infection can spread to the bones, known as osteomyelitis, or to the skin, known as cellulitis.
  • Vision problems. If the infection spreads to your eye socket, it can reduce vision or cause blindness.

Prevention

Follow these steps to help reduce your risk of developing acute sinusitis:

  • Stay well. Try to stay away from people who have colds or other infections. Wash your hands often with soap and water, before meals.
  • Control allergies. Work with your health care provider to keep the symptoms under control.
  • Avoid cigarette smoke and air pollution. Tobacco smoke and other pollutants can irritate the lungs and the inside of the nose, known as the nasal passages.
  • The use of a machine that adds moisture to the air, known as a humidifier. If the air is dry, the addition of moisture in the air can help prevent sinusitis. Make sure that the humidifier is kept clean and free of rust with regular, thorough cleaning.

Diagnosis

A health care provider will ask about your symptoms and do an exam. The exam may include pain sensation in the nose and face and looking on the inside of the nose.

Other ways to diagnose acute sinusitis and rule out other conditions include:

  • Nasal Endoscopy. A doctor inserts a thin, flexible tube called an endoscope, in the nose. A light in the tube allows the provider to see the inside of the sinuses.
  • The imaging studies. A ct scan can show details of your sinuses and nasal area. Is not normally used for the simple acute sinusitis. But imaging studies, may help to rule out other causes.
  • Nasal and sinuses of the samples. The lab tests are not often used to diagnose acute sinusitis. But if the condition does not improve with treatment or worsen, tissue samples from the nose or sinuses can help find the cause.

Treatment

Most cases of acute sinusitis get better on their own. Self-care is usually all that is needed to relieve the symptoms.

Treatments to relieve symptoms

The following may help to relieve the symptoms of sinusitis:

  • Saline nasal spray. Salt water is sprayed in the nose several times a day, rinse the inside of the nose.
  • The nasal corticosteroids. These nasal sprays help prevent and treat the inflammation. Examples include fluticasone (Flonase Allergy Relief, Flonase Sensimist Allergy Relief, others), budesonide (Rhinocort Allergy), mometasone, and beclomethasone (Beconase AQ, Qnasl, other).
  • Decongestants. These medications are available with and without prescription. Come in liquid, pills and nasal sprays. The use of nasal decongestants for only a couple of days, as it may worsen the congestion, known as rebound congestion.
  • Allergy medications. For sinusitis caused by allergies, the use of allergy medications may reduce the symptoms of the allergy.
  • Pain relievers.Take acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or aspirin are available over the counter. Use caution when giving aspirin to children or teenagers. Even though aspirin is approved for use in children older than 3 years, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin. This is because aspirin has been linked with Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal in these children.

Pain relievers. Take acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or aspirin are available over the counter.

Use caution when giving aspirin to children or teenagers. Even though aspirin is approved for use in children older than 3 years, children and teenagers recovering from chickenpox or flu-like symptoms should never take aspirin. This is because aspirin has been linked with Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal in these children.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics do not treat viruses, which are the most common cause of acute sinusitis. Even if the bacteria causing acute sinusitis, called a bacterial infection, it may disappear by itself. So that a health care provider could wait and see if the acute sinusitis worsens before the prescription of antibiotics.

But, if you have severe or worsening symptoms of long duration, the symptoms may need to be treated with antibiotics. Always take the full course of antibiotics, even after symptoms improve. Stop antibiotics early can cause symptoms to come back.

Immunotherapy

For sinusitis caused or aggravated by allergies, allergy shots can help. This is known as immunotherapy.

Lifestyle and home remedies

These steps can help to relieve the symptoms of sinusitis:

  • Rest. The rest helps the body fight infection and speed up recovery.
  • Drink fluids. Drink plenty of fluids.
  • The use of a warm compress. A hot compress on the nose and forehead may help to reduce the pressure in the sinuses.
  • Keep the sinuses moist. Breathing in steam from a bowl of hot water with a towel over your head might be of help. Or take a hot shower, breathing in the air hot and humid. This will help ease the pain and help mucus drain.
  • Rinse the inside of the nose. The use of a specially designed squeeze bottle (Sinus Rinse, others) or neti pot. This home remedy, called a nasal wash can help clear the sinuses.

Alternative medicine

There are alternative therapies that have been shown to relieve the symptoms of acute sinusitis. Products that have certain herbs in them that could be of some help. These therapies have cowslip, gentian root, elderflower, verbena, and sorrel in them.

Consult with a doctor before taking any herbal or dietary supplements. Make sure that it is safe and that they won't get in the way of medicines that you take.

Preparing for your appointment

Here is the information to help you prepare for your appointment.

What you can do

Make a list of:

  • Your symptoms, including any that seem unrelated to the reason of his appointment, and when they began.
  • Key personal information, including if you have allergies or asthma, and the medical history of the family.
  • All the medications, vitamins, or other supplements that you take, including over-dose.
  • Questions to ask your health care provider.

For acute sinusitis, questions to ask your provider include:

  • What is likely causing my symptoms?
  • What are other possible causes of the symptoms?
  • What tests do I need?
  • Is my condition likely to disappear or to be of long duration?
  • What is the best course of action?
  • I have other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
  • Are there brochures or other printed material I can have? What websites do you suggest?

Be sure to ask all the questions that you have.

What to expect from your doctor

Your care provider will likely ask you questions, such as:

  • Do you have symptoms all the time or once in a while?
  • How bad are the symptoms?
  • What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
  • What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
  • Do you smoke or are around smoke or other pollutants?
Symptoms and treatment of Acute sinusitis