What are the Symptoms of Sinusitis?

Sinusitis symptoms vary from individual to individual depending on the underlying cause. Sinusitis symptoms are similar to those of a common cold except that sinusitis symptoms last longer than 3 weeks and sinusitis does not respond to common cold medication.

Sinusitis occurs when one or more of the sinus cavities become inflamed due to several causes such as bacteria, fungi and allergies to pollen causing pain in the nasal area.

The main symptom of sinusitis is pain on the affected sinus cavity.

• Maxillary sinuses - affection of the maxillary sinuses causes an ache in the upper jaw (maxilla) and teeth.
  The cheeks become tender to touch.
• Frontal sinuses - when the forehead is touched or lightly pressed, pain is induced. The cause is likely to be frontal sinusitis. Often the eyes are sensitive to light as well.
• Sphenoid sinuses - Infections in the sphenoid sinuses are not common but can appear as ear-aches, neck pain and sometimes deep aching in the head.
• Ethmoid sinuses - these sinuses are located between the eyes, near the tear ducts and causes swelling of the eyelids and surrounding tissue as well as causing pain between the eyes. There can also be anosmia (loss of smell) and tenderness when the sides of the nose are palpated or touched.

General symptoms of Sinusitis

With a fingertip on the location of pain and the duration of the attack, it is evident that the majority of sinus infections involve more than one cavity and the pain is found in several spots.

In general, sinusitis can be signified by a combination of the following symptoms:

• Cold symptoms that don't respond to treatment
• Persistent colds with coughs
• Head pain on waking in the morning
• A low grade fever between 99F and 100F
• Weakness or tiredness
• A cough that is more prevalent at night
• A runny nose (rhinitis)
• Nasal congestion
• Halitosis (bad breath)
• Swollen eye lids
• Post nasal drip
• Blocked or stuffy nose
• Congested feeling and pressure
• Facial pain or swelling
• Headaches accompanied by fever
• Voice hoarseness
• A decreased sense of smell
• Fullness of the ears

Types of sinusitis

Sinusitis symptoms also vary according to the duration of the "sinus attack".

Acute Sinusitis

This sinus attack usually lasts for a period of at least 2 - 3 weeks. This is usually after a viral infection which causes swelling of the sinus membrane, as a result one or more of your sinuses may become blocked. Then bacteria that normally reside within the cavity start to multiply and cause an infection. It commonly follows a typical "cold". If the cold symptoms last more than one week, then the cold may have advanced into a sinus infection.

A combination of some of the following symptoms signifies acute sinusitis -

• Clears sinus congestion
• Treats Sinus Infections and Sinusitis
• Treats Post Nasal Drip
• Treats Halitosis
• Helps reduce pressure and headaches
• Treats Rhinitis
• Promotes liver and general gastric function
• Stimulates the lymphatic system, and aids in eliminating toxins
• Restores normal bowel function