Sinus Infections
Knowledge is Power.
True/False - Quiz: Do You Understand Sinus Infections?
Knowledge is Power.
True/False - Quiz: Do You Understand Sinus Infections?
Information - Sinus Infections
Healthy sinuses are filled with air. When the tissues lining the sinuses become swollen, inflamed, blocked and filled with fluid, a sinus infection can occur. Sinus infections are very common.
Types of Sinus Infections
There are four different types of sinusitis:
• Acute sinusitis. Symptoms are similar to cold symptoms, but can last 2-4 weeks.
• Subacute sinusitis. Lasts longer than acute sinusitis (4 to 12 weeks).
• Chronic sinusitis. Your symptoms last more than 12 weeks.
• Recurrent sinusitis. You get sinus infections several times a year.
Causes of sinusitis include:
• The common cold
• A deviated septum
• Smoking
• Medications that suppress the immune system
• Chemical irritation
• Nasal polyps (growths in the lining of the nose)
• Allergic rhinitis
Symptoms & Treatment of Sinus Infections
It’s important to see your primary healthcare provider if you think you might have sinusitis, especially because sinus infection symptoms can be similar to those of a cold. Sinusitis symptoms include:
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Green nasal discharge
• Fever
• Facial tenderness or headache
• Cough
Sinusitis treatment depends on the type and severity of the sinus infection. If you have bacterial sinusitis, your physician will usually prescribe antibiotics. In many cases, your physician will recommend you use a decongestant, saline nasal washes and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Sinus surgery is reserved for patients who have failed maximum medical management. Currently the gold standard for treating sinuses is computer-assisted sinus surgery - called functional sinus surgery or functional endoscopic sinus surgery.
Using a head frame, the surgeon can track his or her instruments on a three-dimensional CT scan in real-time, so they can see exactly where they are in the patient's head to an accuracy of less than one millimeter. Because the surgeon is working very close to the eyes, optic nerves, brain and pituitary gland, he or she will work in a box that is an inch and a half by an inch space, spending three or four hours cleaning out the areas, flushing the sinuses, getting the disease out and getting the drainage pathways open to restore function.
Talk to your family physician if you'd like more information on sinus infections.
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There are four different types of sinusitis: acute, subacute, chronic and recurrent.
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Causes of sinusitis include the common cold, a deviated septum, smoking, medications that suppress the immune system, chemical irritation, nasal polyps and allergic rhinitis.
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Sinusitis symptoms include runny or stuffy nose, green nasal discharge, fever, facial tenderness or headache and cough.
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Sinusitis treatment depends on the type and severity of the sinus infection. If you have bacterial sinusitis, your physician will usually prescribe antibiotics. In many cases, your physician will recommend you use a decongestant, saline nasal washes and over-the-counter (OTC) medications.
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Sinus surgery is reserved for patients who have failed maximum medical management. Currently the gold standard for treating sinuses is computer-assisted sinus surgery - called functional sinus surgery or functional endoscopic sinus surgery.