Sinus infections are some of the most common diseases around the globe. This condition, also known as sinusitis, occurs when there is an inflammation of the sinuses. All in all, there are 8 sinuses (4 pairs) in the human body and they are all located in the head. It is important to know them and where they are located to be able to apply effective treatment. The sinus pairs are as follows: frontal, maxillary, ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses. Frontal sinuses run vertically in the forehead, maxillary sinuses are located behind the cheekbones, ethmoid sinuses are between the eyes and lastly sphenoid sinuses are located behind the eyes. Although most of the sinus infections symptoms occur in all cases of sinusitis, some symptoms of sinus infection only appear on inflammation of certain sinuses.

Causes of Sinus Infections

Sinus infections are mainly viral infections, however, they might originate as a side effect of other diseases or as a side effect of treatment of other diseases. First sinus infections symptoms appear with the viral infection getting into the body.

If a person has an allergy for cigarette smoke, fumes or dust, the chance of developing sinus infections symptoms is greater than for those who have no such allergic reactions as these factors can trigger the inflammation. Also, a weak immune system is the window for sinus infections. It is common among patients with AIDS, Diabetes Mellitus or those who are treated with steroid therapy for long time periods, to develop symptoms of sinus infection due to weakened immune system.

Types of Sinus Infections

There are two main types of sinusitis – acute and chronic. Acute sinus infections start with the viral infection or other triggers and usually lasts less than 2 months or 8 weeks. It is possible to treat sinusitis within 8 weeks if the sinus infections symptoms are contained and possible causes are eliminated. However, if the patient’s sinusitis treatment is not successful within 8 weeks, then sinus infections are considered to be chronic and might last for months and even years.

Symptoms of Sinus Infection

As mentioned before, some sinus infections symptoms are common for inflammation of any sinus, however, each sinus inflammation some sinus infections symptoms that only occur in that particular case of sinusitis.

Some of the most common sinus infections symptoms are first of all headaches and fatigue. Patients with sinusitis are usually suffering from weak to strong headaches that can either come and go or last for extended periods of time. As well as this, people who have sinus infections are suffering from fatigue. In other words, they have less energy to perform everyday tasks. It might seem that the patients are not getting enough sleep at first, but in reality, fatigue occurs regardless of the amount of rest the patient gets.

Symptoms of sinus infection in the frontal area include pain in the forehead – different than a headache – that can radiate to the eyes and ears. Maxillary sinus infections are followed by swollen cheeks, toothache, sore throat. Ethmoid sinusitis results in nasal canal blockage and mucus drainage through the nose and into the mouth as well as pain between the eyes, while sphenoid sinusitis affects the eyes in a way that they become dry or watery, there is a lot of crust near the corners of the eyes, the tear drains seem to be blocked, etc. Also, there is a pain in and around the eyes, radiating to the ears and the head.

All forms of sinusitis are also followed by sinus infections symptoms that at first glance look like symptoms of flu. This includes fever, headache, dripping nose, sore throat, chills, etc.

Complications

While for some reason sinusitis might seem virtually harmless at first sight, there is a chance that there will be severe complications due to either improper treatment or unusual reaction to medication. First of all, the pain radiating from sinuses might affect and infect ocular nerves, causing loss of vision. Sinus infections symptoms might develop into the infection of the bones; a condition called Osteomyelitis, which affects cheekbones and the bones in the forehead.

However, this is nothing compared to the what effects sinusitis might have on the brain. From hallucinations and visual anomaly to change of personality and other psychological disorders to a reduced level of consciousness, the side effect on the might be enormous. Furthermore, complications of sinus infections symptoms might put the patient in a coma and even lead to death.

Treatments for Sinus Infections

Naturally, most of the doctors will prescribe sinus infection antibiotics as a treatment for sinusitis. However, it is known that sinus infection antibiotics are not always effective since this condition might sometimes be caused by a fungal infection rather than bacterial infection, and sinus infection antibiotics have no effect on fungus. Therefore, even though not recommended by most of the doctors, some home remedies can be used to reduce the symptoms of sinus infection. However, it should not be used as an alternative but rather as a supplement for sinus infection antibiotics.

One good example of home remedies for sinusitis is celery root. Crush celery root into a powder and consume this mixture several times a day to accelerate the healing process.

Conclusion

It is important to know about an illness before it occurs. The same applies in the case of sinusitis. While this is not a very complicated disease, it is essential to understand all aspects of it to be able to treat and prevent it successfully. Knowing how to identify sinus infections symptoms is one of the most important steps you can take to avoid having to suffer from signs of sinus infection which is one of the most common diseases in the world.