Symptoms and Treatment of Sinus Infections
What causes Sinus Infections?
Sinus infections (also known as acute sinusitis) are typically the result in an infection which causes the sinuses – the cavities in the nasal passages – to become swollen. This swelling means that the sinuses cannot drain properly, and the result is a build-up of mucus which causes facial pain, headache, and other symptoms.
Symptoms of a Sinus Infection
Sinus infection symptoms range from mild discomfort to intense pain, depending on the cause the severity of the infection. Symptoms of a sinus infection may include the following:
- thick, yellow or green discharge from the nose (discharge may also drip down the back of the throat)
- Nasal obstruction or congestion (and difficulty breathing through the nose)
- Discomfort, pain, swelling, or pressure around the forehead, eyes, cheeks, and nose
- Aching around the upper jaw (and sometimes teeth)
- Impaired senses of taste and smell
- Cough (may become more severe at night)
Other symptoms may include sore throat, ear pain, bad breath, fever, nausea, fatigue, and irritability.
Acute sinusitis – an episode which lasts only a short time – is usually a side effect of a cold, and the symptoms of the sinus infection do not last longer than the cold does.
However, in some cases, the sinusitis can last several weeks or even longer, or may be recurrent. In this case the condition is known as chronic sinusitis.
Treatment for Sinus Infections
Self-care is usually adequate for treating a sinus infection. Given that most sinus infections are caused by colds, treating cold symptoms will usually suffice for treating the symptoms of a sinus infection.
However, in some cases, medical treatment may be needed. If you experience symptoms of a sinus infection such as pain or swelling around the eyes, severe headache, swollen forehead, confusion, double vision, shortness of breath, or stiff neck, a doctor’s visit should be made as soon as possible, as these symptoms indicate a serious infection.
In such cases your doctor may prescribe nasal sprays and decongestants to thin mucus and reduce inflammation to ease the serious symptoms of a sinus infection. Antibiotics are not usually prescribed, because sinusitis is not usually caused by bacterial infection.