We've all had cold symptoms that linger on for weeks, leaving us wondering if we'll ever feel healthy again. Most of the time it's just a bad cold caused by a virus, or allergies. But nasal congestion that prevents the sinuses from draining properly can create a perfect environment for a bacterial infection and the development of sinusitis.
More than 31 million Americans have at least on case of acute sinusitis each year, and a small portion of those people will go to develop chronic sinusitis, with symptoms lasting at least 12 weeks. Below, Dr. Jerry Schreibstein, president of the Massachusetts Society of Otolaryngology and a practicing ear, nose and throat physician in Springfield, Massachusetts, reviews the different kinds of sinusitis and how each type can be prevented and treated.
What are the sinuses?
The sinuses are air-containing spaces in the face that act as cushions for the brain in the event of trauma and also act to aerate and humidify the air that we breathe. The sinuses produce mucus that drains through the nose back down the back of the throat, and we typically swallow that mucus.
What is sinusitis?
Sinusitis is an infection or inflammation of the sinuses. It typically occurs a week or 10 days following an upper respiratory tract infection. The common cold is a viral infection that causes an inflammation of the nasal membranes. Those membranes, in turn, cause inflammation of the sinus openings. If the viral inflammation doesn't clear, the mucus that's produced in the sinuses backs up, the sinus gets obstructed and bacteria can infect those areas, and you get what we call a bacterial sinusitis or a bacterial rhinosinusitis, meaning that the nose and the sinuses are both involved.
Chronic sinusitis is sinusitis with symptoms lasting longer than 12 weeks. Imaging tests such as CT scans are helpful for diagnosis in this situation. And the patient who gets repeat episodes of acute sinusitis would be labeled as having recurrent sinusitis or recurrent acute sinusitis.
What are some of the symptoms of acute and chronic sinusitis?
Acute sinusitis is manifested by pain, pressure, congestion, colored nasal discharge and pain in the upper molars. Headache, in and of itself, is not a sign of an acute sinus infection. There are many different reasons why people get headaches and nasal congestion. Migraines, tension headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, which is an inflammation of the nerve that innervates the cheeks, can all cause pain in the sinus area, but not necessarily be due to an infectious cause.
