Sinusitis Disease Information, Sinus Symptoms, Sinus Causes

Sinusitis is the inflammation of the sinuses that occurs with either a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection. The sinuses are air-filled spaces in the skull, located behind the forehead, nasal bones, cheeks, and eyes, that are lined with mucus membranes. Healthy sinuses are sterile and contain no bacteria, viruses, fungus or other organisms and are open, allowing the mucus to drain and the air to circulate in them.

When the sinuses become inflamed, the sinuses become blocked with mucus and can get infected. About a quart of fluid has to move through the sinuses every day. Every year, more than 30 million adults and children get sinusitis. Sinusitis can be either acute (lasting from 2 - 8 weeks) or become chronic, with symptoms lasting much longer.

Sinusitis can occur from any one or more of these conditions: the small hairs (called cilia) in the sinuses, which help move the mucus out, are not working properly; the very small openings (called ostia) from the sinuses to the nose become blocked; or too much mucus is produced. When the sinus openings do become blocked and mucus accumulates, this becomes an excellent breeding ground for bacteria, viruses, fungus and other organisms.

Sinusitis often follows respiratory infections, such as colds, or follows allergic reactions to something. Many people never get sinusitis, but many others develop sinusitis often. Of the many people who are more likely to get sinusitis are people with cystic fibrosis and people whose immune systems are weakened by HIV or chemotherapy.

The following may increase your risk for developing sinusitis: air pollution, smoke, allergies, asthma, changes in the altitude, for example from flying or scuba diving, from dental work such as root canals or extractions, etc., a deviated nasal septum, a nasal bone spur, or nasal polyp, a foreign body in your nose, swimming or diving often, gastroesophageal reflux disease (called GERD or more commonly called acid reflux), having been hospitalized, especially if you're in the hospital because of a head injury or have had a nasogastric tube (intubation) placed into your nose (nasogastric tube), overuse of nasal decongestant sinus medicines and pregnancy.

Cystic fibrosis is one of any number of diseases that will prevent the cilia from working properly. Other lesser known diseases that put you at an increased risk for sinusitis include Kartagener syndrome and immotile cilia syndrome.

The classic symptoms of acute sinusitis usually follow a cold that does not improve, or one that worsens after 5 - 7 days of symptoms or any of the causes listed above. Symptoms include: bad breath (halitosis) or loss of smell, cough - often worse at night (this can be from sinus drainage or constant irritation in the throat from the drainage), fatigue and generally not feeling well, fever (full blown sinus infections are systemic -affect your whole body accounting for the fatigue and fever)), headache -- pressure-like pain, pain behind the eyes or on the head, toothache, facial tenderness, nasal congestion and discharge, sore throat and postnasal drip. Symptoms of chronic sinusitis are the same as the symptoms of acute sinusitis, but tend to be somewhat milder but last longer than eight weeks.

Today there are good natural treatments available for sinusitis and for other sinus problems, eliminating the need for antibiotics, which won't help anyway if it's a bacterial or fungal infection (most sinus infections are fungal infections). One no longer needs to suffer or take sinus drugs or sinus medications now that we have the best natural sinus treatment and preventative sinus treatment today.