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Sinusitis Causes, Symptoms, Treatment

Causes of Sinusitis

You're coughing and sneezing and tired and achy. You think that you might be getting a cold. Later, when the medicines you've been taking to relieve the symptoms of the common cold are not working and you've now got a terrible headache, you finally drag yourself to the doctor. After listening to your history of symptoms, examining your face and forehead, and perhaps doing a sinus X-ray, the doctor says you have sinusitis.

Causes of Sinusitis Acute sinusitis is usually bacterial in origin. A URI or severe allergic rhinitis leading to obstruction of the ostia and stasis of drainage often precedes it.Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae are the organisms most commonly found in adults. In chronic sinusitis, the infecting organisms are variable, and a higher incidence of anaerobic organisms is seen (e.g, Bacteroides, Peptostreptococcus, and Fusobacterium species).

Respiratory tract infections. Infections in your respiratory tract �" most commonly, colds can inflame and thicken your sinus membranes, impeding mucus drainage and creating conditions ripe for growth of bacteria. These infections can be viral, bacterial or fungal in nature.

Signs and Symptoms of Sinusitis Some of the signs that someone may have bacterial sinusitis are: A stuffy or runny nose with a daytime cough that lasts for 10 to 14 days or longer without improvement Mucus discharge from the nose (this can occur with both viral and bacterial sinusitis but continuous thick discharge is more likely to be from bacterial sinusitis)A cold that starts to get better and then gets worse may be a sign of acute sinusitis. Pain or pressure in some areas of the face (forehead, cheeks or between the eyes) is often a sign of blocked sinus drainage and can be a sign of acute sinusitis.

Self Treatment of Sinusitis As long as the symptoms go away within a few days, a doctor's care for sinusitis is not necessary. However, if there are high fever or chills, difficulty with vision, thick yellow or green mucus discharge, or a temporary loss of consciousness, a doctor should be consulted immediately.

your doctor suspects you have a bacterial infection, he or she may prescribe a course of antibiotics such as amoxicillin (Amoxil, Trim ox), doxycycline (Doryx, Monodox) or the combination drug trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Septra). If the infection doesn't subside or if the sinusitis is recurrent, a different antibiotic may be warranted. Sinusitis is inflammation of the para nasal sinuses due to viral, bacterial, or fungal infections or allergic reactions. Symptoms include nasal obstruction and congestion, purulent rhinorrhea, cough, facial pain, malaise, and sometimes fever.

Sinusitis may be classified as acute (completely resolved in < 30 days); sub acute (completely resolved in 30 to 90 days); recurrent (multiple discrete acute episodes, each completely resolved in < 30 days but recurring in cycles, with at least 10 days between complete resolution of symptoms and initiation of a new episode); and chronic (lasting > 90 days).

Chronic sinusitis may be exacerbated by gram-negative bacilli or anaerobic microorganisms. In a few cases, chronic maxillary sinusitis is secondary to dental infection. Fungal infections (Illustrating , Sporothrix , Pseudoallescheria) tend to strike the immunocompromised patient, whereas hospital-acquired infections complicate cystic fibrosis, nasogastric and nasotracheal intubation, and debilitated patients.