Montgomery News

Cold and flu season is underway, and sinus inflammation specialists are reminding patients to be aware of the causes and symptoms of sinusitis.

According to SteadyHealth, sinuses are hollow air spaces located in the bone cavities in the head. Inflammation of the sinuses, or sinusitis, occurs when the mucous membranes within the sinuses become inflamed. Sinusitis that lasts a few days up to a month is called acute sinusitis, and a case that lasts longer than three months is considered chronic sinusitis. 

Sinusitis is usually caused by the common cold or by viral, bacterial or fungal infections of the upper respiratory tract. This causes the mucous membranes in the nose to swell, leading to a blockage of the sinus openings that keeps mucus from draining. This creates an environment in the sinuses that is ideal for bacteria and viruses to grow.

"You're doing your spring cleaning and you breathe in a bunch of dust," Dr. Manish Khanna at Capitol Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers told Montgomery News. "This inflammatory process clogs those little tiny openings, and when those openings are clogged, the mucus that the sinus lining is producing just hangs around in the nasal passages. That's a nice culture medium for bacteria to overgrow and lead to a sinus infection. This can also lead to really thick post-nasal drip that patients feel and lead to a lot of throat clearing, and they start to feel that mucus in the back of their throat. So that's a common symptom of patients who have allergies."

Common symptoms of sinusitis include nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, headache, fever, coughing, bad breath, fatigue and even tooth pain.

"Our sinus cavities are located right behind our facial structure, so when there's inflammation going on, you get this referred pain," Khanna said. "The nerve endings are shared all throughout the head and neck area, so inflammation in the sinus cavity can refer down into the upper teeth, and we see this a lot with patients who go to their dentist. The dentist will do their exam or the X-ray and say, 'Well, your upper teeth are fine. The problem is this inflammation in your sinus cavity.'"

Less common causes of sinusitis include allergies, a deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps, and other medical conditions that can make a patient more susceptible to sinusitis.

People suffering from sinus issues are invited to take a Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz to determine the best course of action to address their symptoms.