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Sinusitis: Acute Sinusitis
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Sinusitis is an infection of the small, air-filled cavities inside the cheekbones and forehead. Acute sinusitis is fairly common, with approximately 1-5% of adults being diagnosed with the condition every year. Acute sinusitis often develops quickly (over a few days) following a cold or influenza (flu). It often clears up on its own with little or no treatment. Chronic sinusitis is less common, and can last for weeks or sometimes even months.
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Sinusitis is one of the most common medical conditions. About 10 to 15 million people each year develop symptoms of sinusitis. Sinusitis may occur in any of the four groups of sinuses: maxillary, ethmoid, frontal, or sphenoid. Sinusitis nearly always occurs in conjunction with inflammation of the nasal passages (rhinitis), and some doctors refer to the disorder as rhinosinusitis. It may be acute (short-lived) or chronic (long-standing).
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Sinusitis refers to inflammation of the sinuses, which is generally caused by an infection (viral, bacterial, or fungal). The sinuses are air-filled spaces around the forehead, cheeks, and eyes that are lined with mucous membranes. Healthy sinuses are sterile (meaning that they contain no bacteria or other organisms) and open, allowing mucus to drain and air to circulate in the nasal passages. When inflamed, the sinuses become blocked with mucus and can become infected. Each year, over 30 million people (adults and children alike) get sinusitis in the United States at some point. Sinusitis can be acute (lasting anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks) or chronic, with symptoms lingering even longer than that.
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Sinusitis invariably results in the presence of a lot of facial pressure and persistent pain in the facial region. The condition very rarely comes along with the presence of a cold or with an allergic reaction. Ten to fourteen days may pass for the full physical symptoms of sinusitis to disappear and the condition usually persists symptomatically for that length of time. The persistent presence of a cold with the sinusitis will normally clear up in less than ten days. On the other hand, the accompanying allergic symptoms can greatly vary in their ability to persist and induce symptoms in the affected individual. Compared to the thin and often watery looking nasal discharge observed during an allergic reaction, the nasal discharge produced during acute or chronic sinusitis is often very thick and yellow-green in color, in addition, the appearance of the nasal discharge during sinusitis is ... different to the thin discharge or the sometimes thicker whitish discharge induced by a simple cold affecting the person.
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Sinusitis is typically diagnosed in your primary care doctor's office. Diagnosis is based primarily on your symptoms and an examination of the throat, nose and sinuses. Redness, swelling of the mucous membranes, tenderness of the face, and dark circles under the eyes are indications your doctor will look for. Depending on how long you've experienced symptoms, your doctor will diagnose your sinusitis as acute or chronic. Diagnosis may require a sinus CT, particularly if symptoms aren't completely convincing of the diagnosis.
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Recurrent acute Sinusitis is defined by symptoms and physical findings consistent with acute Sinusitis, with these symptoms and findings worsening after 5 days or persisting as long as 10 days. However, each episode lasts 7 to 10 days or more and may last up to 4 weeks. Furthermore, as many as 4 episodes occur in 1 year. Between episodes, symptoms are absent without current antibiotic therapy. The diagnostic criteria for recurrent acute Sinusitis are otherwise identical to those for acute Sinusitis.
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Acute Sinusitis