The sinuses are the spaces inside the head and around the nose and cheeks that allow mucus to drain. Chronic sinusitis occurs when the sinuses become irritated and swollen for a period of more than three months. This causes mucus to be unable to drain, causing stuffiness, trouble breathing, and headaches. You may also hear it called chronic rhinosinusitis. It can affect adults and children.
Common symptoms of chronic sinusitis are:
Other common symptoms include body aches, earaches, toothaches, cough, bad breath, sore throat, and overall exhaustion.
Chronic sinusitis shares a lot of similar symptoms with acute sinusitis, which lasts less than 12 weeks. One difference is that someone with acute sinusitis might have a fever. Someone with chronic sinusitis will probably experience acute sinusitis before it develops into chronic sinusitis.
It’s important to seek medical attention if the condition does not get better with treatment, and if symptoms are around for more than ten days. You should also seek medical care if you or your child experiences double vision, confusion, fever, or a stiff neck.
Some common causes of chronic sinusitis include the common cold or some other irritation inside the nose. Viruses that cause the common cold or other bacteria that cause cold-like symptoms, like the strep throat bacteria, can irritate the inside of the nose.
Nasal polyps, tumours, or a deviated septum can also cause chronic sinusitis simply by irritating the inside of the nose.
Risk factors for chronic sinusitis include fungal infections, an infection in the mouth, or frequently being around cigarette smoke or other irritants like toxic chemicals or smog raise your risk of getting chronic sinusitis.
If your doctor thinks you have chronic sinusitis, they’ll ask about your recent symptoms and do a physical exam, including looking inside of your nose for any irritation. To confirm the diagnosis, they may run some tests. These include:
Complications of chronic sinusitis include vision issues and infections. If a sinus infection spreads to an eye socket, it’s possible that it could cause blindness or a partial loss of vision. If sinus infections are caused by viruses, those viruses may spread to the rest of the body if untreated, causing serious problems.
There are a lot of treatment options for chronic sinusitis, including:
Antibiotics may also be prescribed for people who have a sinus infection caused by a bacteria. Minimally invasive surgery to remove nasal polyps or tumours may also be an option for those whose chronic sinusitis will not clear up with other treatments.