Sinusitis

Do you know? According to an estimation, 13.4 crores of Indians suffer from this disease. Yet the acute cases are not included in these figures. You can estimate the spread of the disease from the fact that suffered population is more than the total population in Japan.

Sinusitis is defined as the inflammation and swelling of the lining of paranasal sinuses. The causative agents of sinusitis are viruses, bacteria, or fungi. At the start of the infection, symptoms are mild such as facial pain, runny nose, loss of smell, and cough or congestion. But the symptoms may aggregate to nasal blockage, pus in the nasal cavity, fever, and postnasal drainage, causing severe and chronic sinusitis.

It is defined as the inflammation or swellings of lining tissues of air sinuses. The sinuses are the empty spaces present in the skull. They are present at various locations such as in the cheekbones, between the eyes, in the nose, and the forehead.

They are filled with mucus secreted by linear epithelium. The secreted mucus helps to trap the germs from the air. Sometimes mucus is secreted in large quantities due to upper respiratory tract infections causing inflammation in the sinuses.

Who is vulnerable to Sinusitis?

Everybody is at risk of getting sinus infections. But some conditions facilitate the growth of germs and increase the chances of developing infections. These include:

• In the Case of the deviated nasal septum, a nasal septum is present in the nasal cavity which divides the cavity into two nostrils. The septum is made up of bone and cartilage. When the septum deviates and bends to one side, it divides the nasal cavity unequally.
• Nasal polyps, growth of tissues in the nose
• Recent inhalation of spore or fungal infections
• Smoking
• Cold
• Weak immune system
• Infections of the larynx, bronchi, trachea, or pharynx may spread to the sinuses causing sinusitis
• Excessive mucus secretions in the lungs causes its deposition. This condition is known as cystic fibrosis. It causes the spread of infection in sinuses and leads to sinusitis.

Symptoms

• Decreased sense of smell
• Fever
• Stuffy nose
• Runny nose
• Fatigue
• Cough
• Headache
• Bad breath

How sinusitis can be treated?

Treatment of chronic sinusitis include.

• Nasal corticosteroids are used in spray forms. They work as anti-inflammatory agents and reduce the risk of sinusitis. Corticosteroids include budesonide, beclomethasone, fluticasone, and mometasone.
• Increasing aspirin tolerance treatment if the patient is intolerant to the aspirin and develops sinusitis after medication, then the patient is kept under medical supervision taking large doses of the aspirin. Soon, the patient becomes tolerant to Aspirin.

Diagnosis

When the infection lasts more than 12 weeks, it becomes necessary to diagnose the infection. Chronic sinusitis is diagnosed by the imaging tests such as CT scans or MRI. Structural problems can be seen through imaging.

Bibo helps

saline nasal spray and cough syrups are important natural products used in sore throat, cold and sinusitis-like symptoms. The benefits of using these products are less toxicity and no suppressive effect on immunity because they are natural products. The use of a vapor patch saves from the difficulty of using it with hands. We can attach the patch on a pillow or dress just near the nose and can get the benefits.