Sinuses are small spaces in your skull that are filled with air. You have them in your cheek bones, behind and between your eyes, and in your forehead. They make mucus, which normally drains through small openings into the nose.
If you have sinusitis your sinuses are inflamed (swollen), so the mucus can't drain away. The sinuses in your cheeks are most often affected. People often get sinusitis after they've had a viral infection such as a cold or the flu. Hay fever and other allergies can also cause sinusitis. Acute sinusitis normally lasts for less than 4 weeks
🚨What are the symptoms?
Sinusitis can be very painful. The symptoms often start just as you think you're getting better from an infection. If your nose feels blocked you may think you have a cold, but you may have acute sinusitis.
With sinusitis you may get some of these symptoms as well as a blocked nose:
✅ pain in your forehead, upper jaw, teeth, cheeks, or around your eyes
✅ loss of your sense of smell
✅ Headache that is worse when you lean forward (it might start when you get up in the morning)
✅ Toothache or pain when you eat
✅ Large amounts of green or yellow mucus in your nose
✅ Feeling generally unwell
✅Sore throat, which is caused by the mucus dripping down from your nose into your throat.
Treatment
Sinusitis usually gets better on its own, but there are treatments that can help relieve the symptoms.
✅Painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen, or tablets that combine paracetamol with codeine, help ease the pain for many people.
✅Steroid nasal sprays are used to reduce inflammation (swelling) in the nose.
✅Decongestants come as tablets, nasal sprays, and drops. The idea is that they relieve a blocked nose so you can breathe more easily.
✅Steam Inhalation
✅Antibiotics: These are prescribed if a bacterial infection is suspected, usually if symptoms persist for more than 10 days or worsen after initially improving.
If you have tried the self care options above and feel that the condition has not improved/worsening, you can proceed with a consultation with our clinicians by completing the e-consultation form.