How do I know if I have Sinusitis?

Symptoms of Impacted Sinuses - What You Need To Know

Sinuses are typically filled with air but when the tissue lining is inflamed and become filled with fluid it lends itself to infection as the excess mucus traps bacteria, viruses or fungi. The symptoms of sinusitis can mimic those of an allergy or a cold making it difficult to recognize the condition that has developed as well as making it challenging to recognize the significance of the symptoms. The shared symptoms of a cold or an allergy that are also found in sinusitis may not raise the type of concern that is appropriate to seek medical care as compared to other symptoms which prompt seeing a doctor. If you suspect you have sinusitis, review these signs and symptoms. If you suffer from three or more, you should see your doctor.

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How common is sinusitis?

Sinusitis, also known as rhinosinusitis is inflammation of the nasal passageways and sinus cavities affecting 31 to 35 million Americans each year. Rhinosinusitis accounts for more than 25 million office visits and billions of dollars in doctor bills and medical expenses. The incident rate of Rhinosinusitis in the United States is approximately 14.7% per year, with an 18% increase over the past 11 years. The raise of Rhinosinusitis is varied. It is the third most common diagnosis for antibiotics, with 21 million prescriptions written in 1997. Sinusitis also accounts for approximately 250,000 surgeries per year. Having a sinusitis infection may require paying for expensive surgeries, hospital visits, antibiotics, office visits, as well as the inconvenience of limitations on the activities of daily living due to illness and fatigue.

Sinusitis vs Rhinitis

The diagnosis of sinusitis necessarily entails inflammation and or infection of the nose and or nasal passages (rhinitis), yet the treatments for rhinitis and sinusitis are somewhat different. It is a critical distinction in differentiating between rhinitis from sinusitis, these two conditions which share many similar features.

There are some essential differences between sinusitis and rhinitis which help distinguish one diagnosis from the other. Sinusitis is characterized by inflammation of the sinuses which frequently results in difficulty with sinus drainage, primarily causing postnasal drip. A hallmark of rhinitis, which is concerned more with the forward structures of the nose, result in a runny nose and nasal congestion. The absence of postnasal drip will likely indicate rhinitis. The presence of postnasal drip will typically indicate the presence of sinusitis. The need to clear the throat frequently is also a trademark of sinusitis, and less so in rhinitis. Interference with the sense of smell is usually associated with sinusitis. The olfactory sense is located high in the nose just below the brain, impacting the sinus area. Extreme nasal congestion in rhinitis may reduce the sense of smell for relatively brief periods of time however sinusitis interferes with and reduces the sense of smell. During the course of a sinusitis infection, the loss of smell may persist until the inflammation is totally clear. Headaches are a common symptom experienced with sinusitis and can be caused by the pressure and fullness of impacted sinuses. Sinusitis characteristically results in the sinus cavity becoming inflamed or impacted. However, rhinitis can entail inflammation and sinus cavity fullness yet it is more readily found in sinusitis than in the diagnosis of rhinitis.

Sinusitis involves inflammation of the sinus passages while rhinitis is necessarily inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose. There remains overlap with these two conditions. The same symptoms may occur in both conditions, but the degree to which they impact the patient is the criteria that will determine the diagnosis. For example, a severe headache is a strong indicator of a sinusitis infection while a mild to moderate headache typically would more likely develop with rhinitis.