Sinuses are cavities that exist in the bones near the nose. Sinusitis is an inflammation of these cavities. But before going into the details of what are the symptoms and signs of a sinus infection, let us have a look at what is sinusitis?
Sinuses permit the passage of air from the nose to the lungs. They protect the skull and make it lighter. Sinuses perform the function of evacuating mucus from the body. An inflammation of the sinuses blocks the nasal membrane lining, thereby, prohibiting the discharge of mucus. This trapping of mucus in the sinuses due to an inflammation of the nasal membrane causes severe pain and discomfort. This condition is known as a sinus infection, or more commonly, sinusitis.
The signs of a sinus infection include headache, fever, pain in the jaws, tenderness and pressure around the eyes and the nose, tiredness, swelling of the face and eyelids, and a thick yellow discharge from the nose.
The signs of sinus infection occur on the basis of the duration of the sinusitis and depend on the sinuses affected by the infection. For chronic sinusitis, that lasts between three to eight weeks, the signs include a continuous pain in the sinus area, severe and long headaches and chronic cough. For acute sinusitis, the symptoms are more or less the same but last for a shorter duration, around up to three weeks.
The signs of sinus infection, on the basis of the area affected, can be explained as follows. Pain in the forehead, pain while lowering the head, fever and nasal discharge are symptoms of frontal sinusitis. Pain in the cheekbones, pain while the head is in upright position and relief in the reclining position and pain in the teeth are symptoms of maxillary sinusitis.
Ethmoid sinusitis occurs with symptoms like pain in the lower part of the nose, between the eyes and in the inner corners of the eyes. Similarly, sphenoid sinusitis is accompanied with symptoms such as pain while bending forward, pain while lying backwards and a pain in the upper part of the head.
Thus, the signs of sinus infection must be identified and treated as soon as possible. But no medication should be resorted to without consulting a doctor.
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