Acute Sinusitis – Causes, Symptoms, Treatments & Warnings
What is acute sinusitis?
If you have a stuffed nose and pressure near the eyes, on your cheekbones, and on your forehead, you may be a victim of acute sinusitis. Acute sinusitis is one of the most common diseases people suffer from, all across the globe. It is nothing but an infection caused by viruses like those of a common cold. The infection is caused due to the inflammation of the membranes lining the nose and surrounding sinuses, which hampers the ability to train mucous from the nose and sinuses.
What are the symptoms of acute sinusitis?
Other than nasal congestion and pressure near the eyes, cheekbones, and forehead, as mentioned above, there are many other symptoms associated with acute sinusitis. These include thick yellow or green mucous, sore throat, excess coughing, headache, earache, toothache, bad breath, fever, fatigue, and reduced sense of smell and taste.
How is acute sinusitis diagnosed?
Doctors generally take up a physical exam to diagnose your symptoms for acute sinusitis. He will gently press over your sinuses with the fingers to identify an infection. Also, the nose will be checked for any inflammation, polyps, or abnormalities. Other advanced tests may include nasal endoscopy, CT scans, and MRI scans.
How is acute sinusitis treated?
What should you do if you have caught the acute sinusitis ailment? Yes, probably go the doctor. He could give you something like a nasal steroid spray, amoxicillin, or a placebo. Also, the symptoms can be treated with over-the-counter medicines. For example, congestion in the nose can be treated with decongestants, nasal drainage can be treated with nasal saline, and a sore throat can be treated with an ibuprofen. In addition, you must get enough rest, and lots of fluid intake to keep your body hydrated. However, if you have high fever, severe pain in the face, or discoloured/bad-smelling nasal drainage, the doctor may suggest you some antibiotics too. Worst case, if the condition is not able to be treated through medications, you may require a surgery. This is where you will need a professional ENT surgeon in Kota, one like that at Maitri Hospital, to conduct the required surgery, which may involve removing unwanted tissue, correcting the deviated septum, or reducing the enlarged turbinates.
Never take unprescribed antibiotics for acute sinusitis!
Because it is a result of a virus, acute sinusitis cannot generally be treated by antibiotics. However, even then, 70% of people are put on antibiotic prescriptions when they approach a doctor for the problem. If the doctor suggests the antibiotics when you have any of the above symptoms of high fever, facial pain, or unusual nasal drainage, it could be counted as valid, but otherwise, no antibiotic must be taken. Unnecessary antibiotic usage can lead to the formation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which may then lead our bodies to suffer from bacterial ailments like ulcers, pneumonia, fever, and infections. And, if these ailments get worse or severe, it may cause long-lasting damage to the body’s microbiome, thus leading to other diseases like asthma, allergies, gastrointestinal diseases, and autoimmune disease. In fact, looking at the current situation, it is predicted that over the next 1-2 decades, infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria will cause more than 10 million deaths worldwide!
