WHAT IS SINUSITIS?

Sinusitis is an inflammatory condition affecting the lining of the wall of the sinuses (mucosa).

WHAT CAUSES SINUSITIS?

Anything that obstructs free drainage from the sinuses permits filling of the cavity, stasis of secretions and infection. Acute and chronic sinusitis is most often due to infection arising as a complication of allergic rhinitis. The presence of allergic nasal polyps also predisposes to sinusitis.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF SINUSITIS?

The most common symptoms are pain occurring in the area of the sinus cavity, headache, loss, of the sense of smell (ansomia), fever and nasal discharge. The discharge contains pus, is usually cloudy and thick, is usually yellow, brown or green, and may be mixed with blood. Other common symptoms include a generalized feeling of illness (malaise), cough, pain with chewing and the presence of nasal speech.

ARE THERE COMPLICATIONS OF SINUSITIS?

Serious, and even potentially fatal, complications can result from sinusitis. With the widespread use of antibiotics, the frequency of these complications has decreased.

The most frequent complications occur around the eye. Exophthalmos is protrusion of the eye away from the orbit, usually due to infection behind the eyeball. This symptom may be accompanied by partial paralysis of the upper eyelid, double vision, pain in the eye, swelling of the eyelid, infections and abscess around the eye, loss of vision or blindness or paralysis of one or more muscles responsible for eye motion.

More severe complications are osteomyelitis (infection of the bone) of the bones adjacent to the sinuses and infection and abscesses of the structures surrounding the brain and of the brain itself.

All of these complications are life threatening and require immediate intensive medical treatment, often together with surgery.

SINUSITIS

• Primarily due to infection arising as a complication of allergic rhinitis and allergic nasal polyps.
• Symptoms include pain over the area of the sinus cavity, headache, loss of the sense of smell, fever, nasal congestion, nasal discharge, nasal speech, cough, pain with chewing and a generalized feeling of illness.
• Complications are serious and include protrusion of the eye, paralysis of the upper eyelid, swelling of the eyelid, double vision, pain in the eye, infection or abscess around the eye, loss of vision paralysis of eye motion, osteomyelitis of the bones of the face or skull, and infection or abscess of the brain.