What Is Sinusitis
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What does it mean - Sinusitis The Latin word sinuo means “to bend, wind, or curve” and the suffix in medical terms of “itis” means inflammation: an inflamed curve. Any mucus membrane that is inflamed is diagnosed as sinusitis. The symptoms are somewhat tricky with sinusitis due to sinusitis’ onset stemming from a cold or an allergy. The sinuses are adjacent to the nasal cavity, hence the term paranasal sinuses. Inflammation in the sinus cavity can also be an autoimmune response or an allergic reaction, hypersensitivity to an allergen or pathogen. Where is the infection? Sinusitis takes place in at least in one of the four sets of the paranasal sinuses. The location of the sinus infection will often be revealed by patient complaint. For example, those with an ethmoid sinus infection will often complain of pain and pressure around the eyes or a dull headache. Sinus Symptoms manifest with a wide variance in many conditions producing some kind of nasal irritation, sinus problem, and other physical symptoms. For example, a person suffering with allergies or chronic sinusitis can easily have the same symptoms. The lack of variance, in sinus symptoms, make it difficult to identify the cause of the condition that produced the sinus symptoms. Correctly identifying the sinus condition and the actual diagnosis is a physician’s responsibility yet the myriad of sinus symptoms that are experienced will likely be the same as those found with any of the possible diagnosis associated with colds, allergies, as well as some genetic conditions. The duration and severity of the symptoms will be clues in correctly diagnosing the sinus condition. It is estimated that the vast majority of sinus infections actually begin as viral infections. In addition, the virus is known to attack the cells in the sinus cavities which results in more pain, pressure and swelling. Sinusitis is recognized as well as stemming from a blockage that is viral, fungal, or bacterial and sometimes anatomical. Obstructions in the nasal passages often give rise to sinus infections. For example, those with chronic sinusitis often develop nasal polyps, which further contributes to more sinus infections. Like a cold or allergic sinusitis, a sinus infection will result in nasal congestion which creates blockage and pressure inside the sinus passages and sinus cavities. Sinus symptoms can be any combination of the following:
A nasal culture may be needed to identify if it is an allergy, a bacterial infection, a virus, or a fungus. Thus, an accurate sinusitis diagnosis is hard to obtain based on review only of the sinus symptoms. What kind of sinusitis infection do I have? Acute or Chronic sinusitis There are essentially three criteria of sinus infections based on length of illness with some mild variance in symptoms. When sinus symptoms exist for less than three months it is referred to as Acute Sinusitis and typically last for up to four weeks. Sub-acute is less than one to three months. When sinus symptoms persist longer than three months the diagnosis is classified as Chronic Sinusitis. It is important to point out that self diagnosis is a bit tricky as it is easy to misdiagnose yourself and a chronic sinus infection can develop some life threatening conditions if left untreated, such as orbital cellulitis, meningitis, and brain injury. Please see your doctor if you are presenting with sinus infection symptoms. A diagnosis of sinusitis is easy to confuse with other serious conditions. Treatment Plan: Sinus Dynamics Sinus therapy
Following a diagnosis of sinusitis, rhinitis, allergies or other similar conditions, contact Sinus Dynamics to provide you with a fast acting treatment for your sinus problems. Call Sinus Dynamics today to get started (877) 447-4276. Related Articles |
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