Congestion. Pain and pressure in the sinuses and teeth. Runny nose. Coughing and sneezing. Sore throat. Let's put a hold on Spring!
This time of year is a common time for sinusitis, which simply means inflammation of the sinuses. Let's take a look at the causes of these bothersome symptoms:
Pain and Pressure
The inflammation causes mucus to build up in the sinus cavities behind the cheeks and forehead, causing pain and pressure in the face and head.
Sneezing
When some of the mucus runs down the nose, it triggers sneezing.
Coughing
When mucus drips down the back of the throat into the lungs and upper airway, it causes the coughing.
Sore Throat
The sore throat is due to post-nasal drip. The mucus tends to accumulate in the back of the throat while we're sleeping overnight, so the sore throat is often worse first thing in the morning.
Patients often ask for or expect to be prescribed antibiotics for sinusitis. However, the most common cause is allergy, not infection, so antibiotics are often not the best choice.
Allergy symptoms can occur year-round (perennial) or just during the times when certain triggers are present in the environment (seasonal). The timing, frequency, duration and severity of allergic sinusitis vary from one person to the next, and can change over time.
Allergies are immune reactions to something in the environment. For allergic sinusitis, it is typically something in the air. Pollens (from grasses, trees and other plants), animal dander, and molds are some of the more common allergic triggers, but there are hundreds of possible causes.
Allergy can develop at any time in life - with the very first exposure, after thousands of exposures, or any time in between. So even if you've never been diagnosed with allergy before, it is always something to consider if you have sinusitis.