Sinusitis, the Slow Killer

What is sinusitis?

The human face or skull contains four pairs of air-filled cavities towards the center called sinuses. These are

• Maxillary sinuses: in the nasal cavity
• Frontal sinuses: above the eyes
• Ethmoidal sinuses: between the eyes
• Sphenoidal sinuses: behind the Ethmoidal sinuses

Of these four, the paranasal sinues or those in the nasal cavity are prone to inflammation and this is called Sinusitis, also known as rhinosinusitis. The inflammation can be due to various causes, generally being an infection, an allergy, or autoimmune deficiencies in the person. However, sinusitis caused by viral infection is the most common variety. Sinusitis is quite common and in the US alone, as many as 24 million cases are reported every year.

Why does it happen?

In the normal state, the sinuses are just filled with air. But in some conditions, fluid fills up in them and these get infected with bacteria, viruses or fungi. The sinuses then get blocked. Some of the conditions that can trigger the blockage are common cold, exposure to pollen, or air-borne pollutants, a swelling of the nasal lining, also called allergic rhinitis, small cyst-like growths polyps in the nasal lining, and in rare cases, a slight shift in the nasal cavity which is called as a deviated septum. Again the causes vary between adults and children.

Types of sinusitis

While there are different types of sinusitis such as Acute rhinosinusitis, Recurrent acute rhinosinusitis, Subacute rhinosinusitis, Chronic rhinosinusitis, and Acute exacerbation of chronic rhinosinusitis, the most common ones are Acute and Chronic.

• Acute: Acute sinusitis is caused by four main reasons: virus, bacteria, fungi and chemicals. When it comes to viruses, the main contributors are rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, influenza and parainfluenza viruses, adenoviruses, syncytial virus, enteroviruses, metapneumovirus etc. Bacteria that can trigger acute sinusitis include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis etc. Mold, mildew, fungi and mosses growing in damp environments are the third category of contributors. Finally, chemicals like chlorine, asbestos, ash and cigarette smoke can also trigger acute sinusitis.
• Chronic: When the inflammation of the sinuses is severe and lasts more than 12 weeks, the condition is called chronic sinusitis. The most common symptoms include congestion in the nose, pain in the face, especially when bending down, severe headache with migraine-like symptoms, cough, asthma-like symptoms, thick and greenish mucous discharged through the nose, tightness in the face, toothache and foul smelling breath.

Other complications:

Since the sinuses lie close to the brain, the bacteria and viruses infecting the sinuses can travel to the brain through the bones and blood vessels and cause severe complications as follows:

• Abscess and meningitis resulting in headache, altered identity like behavior in the patient, problems with vision, concussions, coma and in rare cases – death.
• Sinus infections can spread through the veins or cause infection by virtue of close proximity, causing various conditions in the brain such as periorbital cellulitis, subperiosteal abscess, orbital cellulitis, abscess and thrombophlebitis.
• When sinusitis spreads to the central nervous system, it can cause conditions such as cavernous sinus thrombosis, retrograde meningitis, and abscesses of various types.

Treat sinusitis in time

For all the above reasons, sinusitis must be treated in time. Delaying treatment can be dangerous. In addition to the excruciating pain and discomfort, there can be an onset of bone infections, and seriously affect the brain, in the form of brain abscess and meningitis.

Meridian Medical Group is a familiar name in the Bay Area for our cost-effective healthcare. We have been helping patients detect sinusitis in time and treat the same before the condition worsens.