Medical News

Any healthy person can be affected by it, some people more sensitive to it than others. Especially, allergy sufferers, asthma sufferers both adults and children, smokers and people with low resistance to infection (immunodeficiency) are more prone to sinusitis.

The sinuses are air-filled spaces in the skull that are lined with mucus membranes. Healthy sinuses contain no bacteria. Usually, mucus is able to drain out and air is able to circulate.
When the sinus openings become blocked or too much mucus builds up, bacteria and other germs can grow more easily.

*These are things that put you at more risk for sinus infections
*Changes in altitude (flying or scuba diving)
*Large adenoids
*Smoking
*Weakened immune system from HIV or chemotherapy
*Allergy prone

SYMPTOMS
The classic symptoms of acute sinusitis in adults usually follow a cold that does not improve, or one that worsens after 5 – 7 days of symptoms.

Symptoms include:

1. Bad breath or loss of smell
2. Cough that no go away, and gets worse at night
3. Fatigue and generally not feeling well
4. Fever
5. Post nasal drip
6. Pain across your head and face
7. Headache — pressure-like pain, pain behind the eyes, toothache, or facial tenderness
8. Nasal congestion and discharge
9. Sore throat and postnasal drip
10. overall feeling of malaise

Sometimes you can help your symptoms with a few at home remedies

1. Use warm wash clothes

2. If the warm wash clothes doesn’t seem to help you can use humidifier in your room to keep extra moisture

3. Sometimes you can boil water and put your head over the boiling water for the steam that seem to help with congestion. Take into account your very careful not to burn yourself. You can put a towel over your head to keep moisture in longer,

4. You can use a nedipot which is a special formulated bottle that you rise your sinus with a isotonic solution this can be used a a preventative and when you have a sinus infection. I use this daily to prevent myself from getting recurrent infections.

5. Drinking plenty of fluids can help thin the secretions and make it easier to get mucus out.

6. Avoid flying this can make your symptoms worse.

7. Be careful with using nasal spray the will help at first then causes rebound effect and make nasal congestion worse.

8. Stop eating dairy products, until symptom decrease, since dairy products are responsible for mucus production in the body.

9. Avoiding smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke also helps to decrease of sinus infections. Because when you smoke it paralysis cilia which moves particles and debris from the upper respiratory tract.

10. Reducing alcohol consumption can also help as alcohol may cause nasal membranes to swell.

Treatment

Use OTC Motrin or Tylenol for pain and pressure

Most of the time with acute sinusitis symptoms will resolve on own.

If you have been running a fever or have nasal drainage you may be treated with antibiotic, if symptoms don’t go away in 1-2 weeks.

Chronic sinusitis which last longer than 4 weeks frequently will have to use antibiotics.

With chronic sinusitis usually you have to treated with antibiotics for 3-4 weeks due to the poor blood flow to the sinus area.

Sometimes with chronic sinusitis your physician will have referrals made to ENT or allergy specialist to have them assist with your care.

Prevention is really the key with sinusitis I best thing you can do is eat a well balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetable to maintain your immune system at optimal levels.

Reduce stress also help keeps your immune system strong.

The best line of defense from any kind of infection is to wash your hand frequently, after having any direct contact with others.

Getting vaccinated for flu and pneumonia also help reduce your risk for sinusitis.

Contact your physician
1.If you are running a fever,
2. Or still have symptoms after the course of antibiotics are completed, even though you took them as prescribed.
3. If you still have severe headache without relieve from OTC Motrin or Tylenol.

I hope this is helpful information from a sinus suffer and Registered Nurse, But the best resource should be your physician.
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