Sinuses are paired cavities or spaces found in cranial bones, connected to the nose on the facial part of the skull where the air passes and mucus drain. Basically, we have four pairs of sinuses, known as “paranasal sinuses” as a whole. These are categorized as:
1) Ethmoid Sinus (between the eyes)
2) Frontal Sinus (in forehead)
3) Maxillary Sinus(behind the cheeks)
4) Sphenoid Sinus(deep behind the ethmoids)
Sinuses perform basic functions such as:
- It reduces the weight of the skull and that’s why we feel heaviness during sinus attack
- Provide resonance to the voice
- Moisten and humidifies the air that we breathe
- Act as buffers against facial trauma
Sinus Infection or Sinusitis:
We develop sinus infection due to the growth of the pathogenic microorganism within the sinus that causes intermittent blockage. Sinus Infection refers to the infection of air spaces within the passages of the nose that causes discomfort, problem in breathing, and fever.
What causes Sinusitis?
Sinusitis mainly occurs due to one of the following reasons:
1) Infections and Inflammations: Various bacterial, viral and fungal infections cause Sinusitis.
Bacterial Infections: Different bacterial agents that cause sinusitis are Streptococcus pneumoniae (also called pneumococcal pneumonia or pneumococci), H. influenzae (a common bacteria associated with many upper respiratory infections), Moraxella catarrhalis, and Staphylococcus aureus. These agents are more pronounced and cause 70% of sinusitis cases.
Viral infections: It is basically an upper respiratory infection called cold or flu. This infection may be caused by several viruses and strains.
Fungal Infections: Fungi rarely produces Sinus Infections. Some fungal agents that develop sinusitis are Fungus Aspergillus(the most common cause of fungal sinusitis), Curvularia, Bipolaris, Exserohilum, and Mucormycosis. There are four major types of fungal sinusitis listed below:
Acute or invasive fungal sinusitis: People with diabetes and compromised immune systems tend to develop acute fungal sinusitis.
Allergic fungal sinusitis: This form of sinusitis is caused by the allergy to the fungus Aspergillus rather being caused by the fungus itself. It results in nasal passage blockage and erosion of the bones.
Chronic or indolent fungal sinusitis: This occurs when fungi invades a person’s body who is not suffering from an immune deficiency or severely weekend immune system.
Mycetoma: It occurs in maxillary sinus and it is non-invasive.
2)Behavioural causes
3)Inherited or acquired causes
4)Anatomical causes
5)Environmental causes
Symptoms:
Symptoms of sinuses are:
- Fever
- Headache
- Facial tenderness
- Pressure or pain
- Nasal drainage
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Bad breath
- Itching of the eyes and sneezing
Treatment:
The various treatment procedures used for sinusitis include turmeric or salt inhalation with a neti pot and steam inhalation. Turmeric gargles help in treating chronic sinus inflammation as it contains curcumin that helps in healing the sinus cavity. Saline drainage with neti pot helps reduce sinus pressure and sinusitis. A cup of warm water with a half teaspoon of salt may be inhaled while holding one nostril closed. Steam inhalation is another effective way of treating sinusitis by opening the sinuses. This can be done by placing a towel over the head while inhaling steam from a bowl of hot water.
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