Sinusitis Symptoms
Sinusitis is a disease that affects a large part of the population. It happens irrespective of the age group or region or health. While most of us suffer from it intermittently, there are some in whom this is present in chronic form. While awareness about sinusitis is fairly widespread, not all may know all of the sinusitis symptoms. Here is an exhaustive list of symptoms.
Sinusitis Symptoms
Chronic sinusitis is a long term infection, lasting several weeks or may be months. Symptoms are –
* Stuffed nose which often stays blocked for most of the day. You will find it difficult to breathe through the nose and will breathe through the mouth instead.
* A thick discharge from the nose. This is usually colored, either yellow or green. This discharge is difficult to clear and you will have to force it out of your nose. Most of the time you will end up swallowing it.
* Drastic reduction in the sense of smell, taste and hearing.
* Swelling and softness around the eyes, nose, forehead and in the upper cheek region.
* Headache. The intensity of which may vary as the day progresses.
* Pain in the upper frontal region of the face, especially while bending the head forward.
* Cough. This may become worse as the temperature dips. It may be accompanied by sore throat.
* Disturbed sleep as breathing becomes difficult.
* A persistent feeling of fatigue.
One or more of these symptoms will persist for several weeks or months.
Milder symptoms that will be present are –
* Pain in the upper jaw joint.
* Numbness in the nose and ear. Ringing and pain in the ear at times.
* Drowsiness and nausea.
* A few may experience bad breath (halitosis).
* A feeling of frustration and irritability often sets in as a result of the stuffiness.
* Intermittent fever which will add to the fatigue.
* Bouts of sneezing, which may result in ejaculation of mucus from the nose.
Sinusitis Symptoms
There are several other sinusitis symptoms but which may not be considered major. These are –
* Swollen nasal passage which may also be reddish in color.
* A feeling of tenderness in the area of the nasal passage and under the eyes.
* Drowsy and itchy eyes.
* Pain in the gum and teeth.
* Gagging due to the mucus.
* Mild fever that stays for many days.
* Headache in the morning after you wake from sleep.
* Pain in the center forehead and between the eyes. This is due to infection in the ethmoid sinus.
* A feeling of a heavy head due to the infection spreading from the nasal passage to the inner ear.
* Infection and inflammation of the eye, especially the eyelids and the tear ducts. This happens when the ethmoid sinus is infected. The infection may spread to the eye. This also causes pain behind the eyes.
* Obstruction in the throat which will require frequent clearing
Children who suffer from sinusitis show the following sinusitis symptoms:
* A runny nose (postnasal drip) with a discharge that will be greenish. This can run for up to 4 days.
* Pain and tenderness in the ethmoid sinus which between the eyes.
* High fever touching levels above 100.
* Coughing during the day that may persist for up to a week or 10 days.
There are however certain symptoms that indicate an emergency which means that the patient has to be shifted to a hospital. These are:
* The mild symptoms change in intensity and the condition deteriorates as the days progress.
* Onset of severe headaches accompanied by a problem in vision.
* Drooping eyelids which will also be swollen.
* Difficulty in moving the eye which indicates that the infection has spread to the eye socket. The pupil of the eye will also be dilated or remain fixed affecting the vision.
* Painful eyes that will also be bulged and reddish.
* Confusion and a change in personality. The change will not be dramatic but will be a matter of concern nevertheless as it indicates that the infection has spread to the brain from the sinus.
* Swelling of the skin covering the bone around the sinus.
As detailed here, sinusitis symptoms can represent either a mild infection or a severe one.
These symptoms should not be ignored, especially if the condition keeps worsening.