Sinusitis in Texas (and the rest of the United States) is a common problem. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 29 million Americans suffer from chronic sinusitis. Remarkably, that’s nearly 13 percent of the entire population.
We hear you asking, What is sinusitis? Quite simply, sinusitis is another name for a sinus infection.
Sinus infections are episodes when the nasal passages become swollen and inflamed. Some episodes of sinusitis are brief while chronic sinusitis lasts from 4 to 12 weeks or longer and often occurs more than 4 times in a single year.
There are a variety of causes of sinusitis, including viruses, bacterial infections, nasal polyps, respiratory tract infections and allergies. Fortunately, there are common signs and symptoms of sinusitis that may indicate you have the condition and should seek treatment.
Sinusitis Symptoms
It’s easy to confuse a common cold with sinusitis. Both can cause a runny and congested nose. However, with a sinus infection or sinusitis, it’s likely that two of the following symptoms are present.
1. Thick Yellow or Green Discharge
You’re familiar with the normal consistency and color of mucus. It’s generally light colored and fairly thin, slippery and viscous. When you have a sinus infection, the discharge from your nose becomes thicker and a darker yellow or green color is common.
2. Headache
A deep, dull, ongoing headache is one of the common signs of a sinusitis. You’ll feel the ache in your cheekbones, forehead and the bridge of your nose. One of the fastest ways to make a sinus headache worse is to move your head quickly from side to side. Ouch!
3. Difficulty Breathing Through Your Nose
Sinusitis can block the ability to breathe through your nose. If you’ve suddenly become a mouth breather and you can’t clear your nose well enough to breathe normally, you may have a sinus infection.
4. Tenderness and Swelling around Your Eyes, Nose, Cheeks and Forehead
A sinus infection often leaves your head feeling like a giant soccer ball that has been kicked around. It feels tender. It feels heavy. Lightly touching your cheeks, nose and forehead causes pain. You need relief and you need it soon.
5. Reduced Sense of Taste and Smell
When your nose is stuffed, it’s difficult to taste and smell the foods you normally love. If you’re wondering if you’re having difficulty tasting and smelling food, order your favorite pizza or cook a favorite dish, preferably one with some spice and aroma. If you can barely smell and taste the food, you may have a sinus infection.
Other less common symptoms include ear pain, nausea, bad breath, cough and sore throat.
Call Dallas ENT Group for Diagnosis and Treatment
If you recognize these sinusitis symptoms—and symptoms consistently last longer than 7 days and occur on a fairly regular basis—it’s time to contact an ear, nose and throat doctor in Dallas.
The ENT doctors at the Dallas ENT Group regularly and successfully treat patients with sinusitis. Our outcomes are excellent. Call 972-566-8300 today to schedule an appointment. We’ll work with you to eliminate the pain and hassle of sinusitis.
This entry was posted on Monday, January 14th, 2013 at 6:08 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.