Chronic sinusitis is a medical condition whereby the mucous lining of the sinuses remains inflamed all the time. In a mild sinusitis, the body usually heals itself naturally even though it may a while like 14 days to 21 days. However, when the healing process takes too long, the end result would be recurrent sinusitis on a regular basis.
Most people with chronic sinusitis have many factors which predispose them to suffer from regular episodes of sinusitis. Some of these include cold weather, viral influenza, airborne pollutants such a pet dander, pollens and mold infestation in the home.
Top 5 Chronic Sinusitis Symptoms
1. Nasal congestion. The causes of nasal obstruction could be due to allergies related to certain food groups, pollens, fungi and other foreign matters. Nasal congestion can also be caused by nasal polyps, enlarged nasal turbinates and a deviated septum within the nose.
2. Mucus discharge. Nasal discharge could be thick and jelly-like. Some mucus can stained with pus giving a yellowish-green colour which indicates a bacterial infection. Foul-smelling mucus indicates bacterial infection of the maxillary sinuses arising from a dental problem.
3. Postnasal drip. Increased post nasal drip is a significant chronic sinus infection symptom. It is also common to find a sudden mass of clear, sticky and thick mucus draining down the nasopharynx occasionally.
4. Persistent sore throat. If a person has a persistent sore throat which does not go away with prescribed medication, sinusitis is suspected.
5. Blocked ears. Chronic sinusitis sufferers often have the feeling that their ears are clogged up. This is due to the sticky mucus obstructing the openings of the eustachian tubes. Sometimes, the eustachian tubes are themselves inflamed causing eustachian tube dysfunction.
Chronic sinusitis treatment
1. Antibiotics
If there is no abnormality to the anatomy of the nose, prescription antibiotics to treat the bacterial sinus infection would be appropriate. Today, for an effective treatment, third generation antibiotics are preferred. In particular, third generation broad-spectrum antibiotics are found to be effective as they have pronounced effects over many types of bacteria. However, the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics presents the danger of promoting antibiotic resistance.
For chronic sinusitis treatment, the ENT surgeons seem to favor the use of a broad-spectrum antibiotics. Cedax® (Ceftibuten dihydrate), Avelox® (moxifloxacin) and Cravit® Levofloxacin are popular.
Besides antibiotics, antihistamines and corticosteroids would be needed to clear the allergy symptoms and inflammation respectively. Steroid nasal sprays have had some success in helping to alleviate allergy symptoms.
2. Surgical procedures
Surgery is implicated when the patient has structural abnormalities such as a deviated septum, presence of nasal polyps and abnormally large turbinates.
Chronic sinusitis is a condition that is very difficult to treat. You should take special care to arrest mild cases of sinus infection early!
Of late, there have been many an increasing number of chronic sinus infection cases which does not respond well to modern medicine. Find out more about fungal sinusitis and what is is an effective home remedy for eustachian tube dysfunction.