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Acute sinusitis is a short-term inflammation of the sinuses, often accompanied by an infection. The sinuses are cavities or spaces in the head, linked by tiny channels that produce thin mucus to clean the nose. When the sinuses become inflamed, they can enlarge and fill up with fluid, causing mucus to accumulate and drainage to be obstructed. This can make it difficult to breathe through the nose and cause facial swelling, pain, and headaches. Sinusitis is also known as rhinosinusitis because nasal tissue is often affected along with sinus tissue.
Acute sinusitis is usually caused by the common cold and usually clears up within a week to 10 days, unless it develops into a bacterial infection. Home remedies can often treat acute sinusitis effectively. If sinusitis lasts for more than 12 weeks despite medical treatment, it is classified as chronic sinusitis.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of acute sinusitis frequently include:
- Difficulty breathing through your nose due to a blocked or stuffy nose (congestion).
- Postnasal drainage, which is thick, yellow or greenish mucus coming from the nose (runny nose).
- Aches, soreness, swelling, and pressure in the area around your eyes, cheeks, nose, or forehead that get worse when you stoop over.
The additional signs and symptoms of acute sinusitis may include:
- Extreme tiredness
- Fever
- Cough
- Headache
- Pressure in the ear
- Toothache
- Modification of smell
- Loss of sense of taste
- Foul breath
Most individuals with acute sinusitis do not require medical attention. However, if you have a history of persistent or recurrent sinusitis, experience symptoms for a week or more, have a persistent fever, or notice that your symptoms improve and then worsen, it is important to contact with your doctor.
It is crucial to seek immediate medical attention if you exhibit any signs or symptoms that could indicate a severe infection, including:
- Confusion
- Stiff neck
- Changes in eyesight, such as double vision
- Pain, swelling or redness around your eyes.
- Fever
Causes
The common causes of acute sinusitis include a cold or allergies, which can lead to swelling and blockage of the sinuses. Additionally, a bacterial infection or fungus can also cause inflammation and blockage of the sinuses.
Risk factors
If you have any of the following conditions, you may be more susceptible to developing sinusitis:
- The sinuses are impacted by a common cold.
- Smoke exposure from cigarette smoking or from being around someone who is smoking.
- Sinus problems brought on by hay fever or other allergic conditions.
- An immune system issue like HIV/AIDS or a disease like cystic fibrosis.
- An abnormality of the nasal passages, such as nasal polyps or tumors; or a deviated nasal septum.
Diagnosis
Your doctor may ask about your symptoms and perform a physical examination, which may include feeling for painful spots on your face and nose and examining the inside of your nose. Based on this examination, your doctor can typically make a diagnosis without the need for additional tests. However, in some cases, additional techniques may be used to rule out other illnesses and confirm a diagnosis of acute sinusitis.
- Nasal endoscopy. Your doctor can see within your sinuses by inserting an endoscope via your nose, which is a small, flexible tube with a fiber-optic light.
- Imaging studies. Your sinuses and nasal area are visible in detail on a computed tomography (CT) scan. Imaging tests could be useful in detecting anomalies or potential problems, while they are typically not advised for uncomplicated acute sinusitis.
- Nasal and sinus samples. For the most part, lab testing is not required to diagnose acute sinusitis. Nevertheless, tissue samples (cultures) from your nose or sinuses may be used to assist in identifying the reason, such as a bacterial infection, if the illness is not improving after therapy or is getting worse.
- Allergy testing. Your doctor will advise an allergy skin test if they suspect allergies are to blame for your severe sinusitis. The skin test is a quick and safe way to identify the allergen responsible for your nasal flare-ups.
Treatment
Acute sinusitis cases typically resolve on their own. Usually, using self-care methods is enough to reduce symptoms.
Treatments to manage symptoms
- Your doctor might suggest the following therapies to relieve sinusitis symptoms:
- Saline nasal spray: which you use to flush your nasal passages many times each day by spraying it into your nose.
- Nasal corticosteroids: Inflammation is treated and prevented by using these nasal sprays. Fluticasone, budesonide, mometasone, and beclomethasone are a few examples.
- Decongestants: These drugs come in both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription liquids, pills, and nasal spray forms. Use nasal decongestants for a brief period of time. If not, they could trigger rebound congestion, which is a recurrence of even worse congestion.
- Allergy medications: If allergies are the cause of your sinusitis, taking allergy medicines may help reduce allergy symptoms.
- OTC pain relievers: aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen, or ibuprofen. Give aspirin to kids or teenagers with caution. Although aspirin is safe to use in children above the age of three, it should never be administered to adolescents or teenagers who are experiencing flu-like symptoms or chickenpox. This is because aspirin has been connected to Reye’s syndrome in these children, an uncommon but potentially fatal illness.
Antibiotics
Acute sinusitis is often caused by a virus and not a bacterial infection, so using antibiotics is not usually necessary. Even if you have bacterial acute sinusitis, it may resolve on its own, so your doctor may choose to monitor your condition before recommending antibiotics. However, if your symptoms are severe, getting worse, or chronic, antibiotics may be necessary. It is important to complete the full course of antibiotics prescribed by your doctor, even if you start feeling better. If you stop taking them too soon, your symptoms may return.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy (allergy shots) that lessen the body’s response to particular allergens may help treat your symptoms if allergies are a factor in your sinusitis.
