by Jonte Rhodes

Created on: January 21, 2009

Sinusitis is the medical term for inflammation of the sinuses that happens in conjunction with a viral or bacterial infection. The sinuses are hollow air filled spaces in the face, which are filled with mucus membranes. Under normal circumstances air can pass through these areas, and any mucus drains away, however when these passages become blocked, then infection is caused.

The most common symptoms are pain and pressure in the infected area, postnasal drip, toothache, fatigue, bad breath, loss of smell, cough and fever. These symptoms will generally vary from person to person, and are also different depending on which cavity is being affected. There are cavities in the cheeks, nose, forehead and behind the eyes, and some or all might be affected by a case of sinusitis.

Most sinusitis cases are acute, meaning that the symptoms fade after a few weeks with proper treatment. These also tend to have been caused by something such as having recently had a cold or other respiratory illness. There are some people however, who develop chronic sinusitis, where the symptoms recur frequently, and are a lot more severe.

Acute sinusitis usually lasts for a little over a week, and is most often preceded by a viral infection of the upper respiratory system. It the symptoms last over four weeks, then it is described as being sub-acute, and over 12 weeks is considered chronic.

There are six sub types of chronic sinusitis, although the most common is thought to be caused by hyper-responsiveness to certain common bacteria.Some also believe fungus has some role in the development in chronic sinusitis, because most patients who have it also have fungus in their nasal cavities. However many healthy people also have the same fungus in their nasal cavities, and display no symptoms.

There are several groups of people whoa re more likely to develop sinusitis due to a variety of factors. People with a weakened immune system, as well as those with cystic fibrosis are much more at risk of developing sinusitis because for them it is more difficult to remove bacteria from the body. Also people who suffer from Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or have a deviated septum are more at risk than usual as well.

There are many other risk factors for sinusitis that most of us might happen to fall into at some point during our lives. People who have recently had dental work done, changed altitude, (from flying or scuba diving usually), asthma sufferers, people with severe allergies and breathing in smoke

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