Acute sinusitis can cause a long list of unpleasant symptoms, but it usually only lasts seven to 10 days. | Twitter/Mount Sinai Health System
Acute sinusitis can cause a long list of unpleasant symptoms, but it usually only lasts seven to 10 days. | Twitter/Mount Sinai Health System
It may be cold and flu season, but Dr. Daniel Mongiardo doesn't want his patients to forget about acute sinusitis.
According to Mayo Clinic, acute sinusitis causes the spaces inside your nose (sinuses) to become inflamed and swollen. This interferes with drainage and causes mucus to build up, which can leave sinus sufferers feeling pretty miserable.
"There's a lot of people who miss a lot of work because of chronic sinusitis," Mongiardo of the Dr. Daniel Mongiardo Sleep & Sinus Center told NC Kentucky News. "It's not only a problem in medicine, but it's a problem at work. It's a lifestyle issue. It's a quality-of-life issue. And patients who miss work, they're not as comfortable at home. It can cause depression; it can cause anxiety. It's been connected to a lot of different issues."
With acute sinusitis, it might be difficult for patients to breathe through their nose. The area around the eyes and face might feel swollen, and patients may have throbbing facial pain or a headache, according to Mayo Clinic.
"The sinuses and the nose are the beginning, or the front door, to your respiratory system," Mongiardo said. "And if you don't have good quality of air and good flow of air going into your lungs, that affects everything. If you have low oxygen or poor flow of oxygen or inflammation along the respiratory tract, and you don't have good exchange of oxygen, that can cause all kinds of problems. It causes inflammation. Inflammation causes joint stiffness. It's one of the major causes of what we now call fibromyalgia. Inflammation also causes problems in blood vessels, where they clog up and you have heart attack and stroke. So inflammation is a very, very serious problem that has multiple causes. Chronic inflammation from chronic infection from sinusitis is a big cause."
Acute sinusitis is most often caused by the common cold. Unless a bacterial infection develops, most cases resolve within a week to 10 days. Home remedies may be all that is needed to treat acute sinusitis. However, sinusitis that lasts more than 12 weeks, despite medical treatment, is considered chronic sinusitis.
Visit the Dr. Daniel Mongiardo Sleep & Sinus Center website to determine if you might benefit from a visit to discuss treatment options for acute or chronic sinusitis.
Dr. Daniel Mongiardo Sleep & Sinus Center has an online sinus quiz for those who want to evaluate their symptoms.
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