How To Treat Acute Sinusitis?

A stuffed up nose and pressure on our cheekbones can often mean you have acute sinusitis. Acute sinusitis, also called acute rhinosinusitis, is a short-term infection or inflammation of the membranes that line your sinuses. It prevents mucus from draining from your nose. 

What Causes Acute Sinusitis?

Illnesses and conditions that can cause acute sinusitis include:

• colds
• bacterial upper respiratory tract infections
• fungal sinus infections
• allergies that cause mucus production in the sinuses
• lack of cilia motility, caused by disease (cilia are the small hairs located in your sinuses that move to push mucus out of your sinuses)
• nasal polyps or tumors
• deviated nasal septum
• enlarged or infected adenoids
• infected tooth (in rare cases bacteria can spread from the infected tooth to the sinuses)
• cystic fibrosis (a disease that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the body)

Symptoms of acute sinusitis include:

• nasal congestion
• thick, yellow, or green mucus discharge from the nose
• sore throat
• a cough (usually worse at night)
• drainage of mucus in the back of your throat
• headache
• pain, pressure, or tenderness behind your eyes, nose, cheeks, or forehead
• earache
• toothache
• bad breath
• reduced sense of smell
• reduced sense of taste
• fever
• fatigue

However, sometimes, especially if you suffer from chronic sinusitis,medical intervention is required.

1. Saline Nasal Spray: This is a spray you put into your nose several times a day to clean your nasal passages.
2. Nasal Corticosteroids: There are many types of nasal corticosteroids. They include fluticasone, budesonide, mometasone, beclomethsone. These nasal sprays not only help to treat inflammation, they help prevent to prevent inflammation as well.
3. Aspirin: This is a type of OTC pain relievers and they help relieve the pain of acute sinusitis. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are two other OTC pain relievers which can be used instead of aspirin.
4. Antibiotics: Antibiotics are usually not required and should never be taken without the doctor's prescription. However, sometimes the doctor may recommend it if he thinks there is a bacterial infection or if the symptoms progress rapidly.
5. Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy is given when allergies are the reason you are having acute sinusitis. It is rarely needed, however.
6. Surgery: For sinusitis symptoms which are chronic or occur frequently, nasal surgery may be the best option for permanent relief. A number of different surgical procedures can be used to treat acute sinusitis such as balloon sinuplasty, endoscopic sinus surgery etc. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ent Specialist.