What are the symptoms of sinusitis?

Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
Updated on December 11, 2024
00:00
00:00

The clinical symptoms of sinusitis vary widely among individuals, and in general, it is considered a common illness. The most frequent clinical manifestations include nasal congestion, purulent nasal discharge, reduced sense of smell, headaches, and dizziness. Some patients may also experience facial pain and numbness; however, specific symptoms vary from person to person. Some may exhibit only one symptom, while others may experience two to three, or even multiple symptoms, with the disease demonstrating recurrent and fluctuating patterns. In terms of treatment, medication remains the primary approach, supplemented by nasal irrigation. Only a small fraction of patients, whose symptoms do not improve with conservative medication treatments or who suffer from particularly severe inflammatory reactions like fungal sinusitis, may consider surgery.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
47sec home-news-image

Symptoms of sinusitis recovery

Sinusitis is a relatively common otolaryngological disease. If sinusitis is cured after treatment, clinically it means that the symptoms have subsided; there is no nasal congestion, no purulent nasal discharge, normal sense of smell, and no headache, dizziness, or blood in the nasal discharge. However, individual differences in treatment outcomes do exist. During the treatment process, regular follow-up visits are necessary to observe the recovery status of the condition. Additionally, combining nasal endoscopy, routine blood tests, and sinus CT scans with the doctor's clinical experience can help determine whether the sinusitis has healed. However, some patients may experience a recurrence of symptoms after treatment.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
1min 3sec home-news-image

How to treat sinusitis?

The treatment of sinusitis is mainly divided into three categories. The first category is observation and follow-up; the second category is medication treatment; the third is surgical treatment. If the sinusitis is very mild and does not have obvious clinical symptoms, and the nasal cavity is relatively clean, most of these cases can be considered for observation without particular treatment. If the inflammation is more pronounced, accompanied by nasal congestion, a runny nose, headache, and dizziness, most of these cases should consider medication treatment, which usually involves oral medications and nasal sprays. Additionally, rinsing the nasal cavity with saline can be considered. If the inflammatory response is particularly severe and symptoms are pronounced, and if standard medication treatment is ineffective, surgery may need to be considered. Currently, the main surgical option is endoscopic sinus surgery. Generally, this approach is quite effective, causes less damage, and allows for a relatively quick recovery.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
54sec home-news-image

What is sinusitis?

Sinusitis is a nonspecific inflammation of the sinus mucosa, a common and frequently occurring illness. Its onset is often due to diseases of the nasal cavity such as nasal polyps, allergic rhinitis, deviated nasal septum, hypertrophy of the nasal turbinates, or nasal cavity tumors that block the sinus ostia, all of which can lead to sinusitis. Patients with sinusitis typically experience symptoms such as nasal congestion, purulent nasal discharge, and headaches. Usually, a diagnosis requires sinus CT scans, either plain or enhanced, to confirm the occurrence of sinusitis. Once diagnosed, most cases of sinusitis can be alleviated with oral medication. However, a small number of patients who are difficult to cure may need surgery to open the sinus ostia and maintain drainage, thus curing the sinusitis.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
56sec home-news-image

Can sinusitis cause a fever?

Sinusitis can potentially cause fever, primarily seen in cases of acute sinusitis or acute exacerbation of chronic sinusitis. Additionally, some cases are due to a systemic or localized inflammatory response caused by fungal sinusitis, leading to related changes in the condition. For fever, it is first necessary to check the body temperature. If the temperature is below 38.5 degrees Celsius, physical cooling methods are generally recommended. If the temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees Celsius, antipyretic medications should be considered. In cases of acute bacterial infections, timely antibiotic treatment for infection should be considered, along with using saline solution to wash the nasal cavity. If inflammation occurs repeatedly and conservative medication treatment is not effective, surgery may need to be considered.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
59sec home-news-image

Can sinusitis turn into cancer?

Sinusitis, commonly referred to as sinus inflammation, mainly involves the mucosal membrane of the sinus cavity or the sinus itself. In the clinical course of the disease, we have not observed sinusitis or secondary sinusitis directly transforming into a malignant tumor, nor have we seen or observed the carcinogenic process. Clinically or pathologically, there is no evidence of this. However, we have observed malignant tumors of the sinuses, such as maxillary sinus cancer or ethmoid sinus cancer. It is found that 80% to 85% of these patients have sinus inflammation. Therefore, we speculate that sinusitis may be evolving into sinus cancer, or inflammation may play a role in the process of sinus cancer. In summary, there is no direct evidence that secondary sinusitis leads to cancer, but in diagnosing sinus cancer, the presence of sinus inflammation has been observed.