If chronic sinus problems are making you miserable, you’re not alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 29 million American adults have been diagnosed with sinusitis. Sinus problems usually start with a viral head cold. Congestion in your nose blocks the drainage of your sinuses, and that can lead to acute sinusitis. “Both your nose and your sinuses are lined by moisturizing mucous membranes,” explains Toribio Flores, MD, an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. “When mucus can’t get out of the sinuses, bacteria start to grow, and that causes a sinus infection.” Sinusitis symptoms that last for more than 12 weeks could be chronic sinusitis. In addition to frequent head colds, your risk for chronic sinusitis also goes up if you have allergies. “Chronic sinusitis can be caused by an allergy, virus, fungus, or bacteria and can go on for months or even years,” says Dr. Flores.
Chronic Sinusitis Symptoms
Symptoms of chronic sinusitis are not very different from acute sinusitis symptoms — they just last longer. Whether sinusitis symptoms are the result of infection or allergy, the actual cause of the symptoms is the blocked drainage of mucus from the sinuses into the nose. Sinusitis symptoms you might experience include:
Nasal congestion with thick nasal dischargePain over the upper teethHeadachePost nasal drip and cough that is worse at nightBad breathLoss of smellFatigueFever
Treating Chronic Sinus Problems
“Acute bacterial sinusitis that occurs after a head cold usually responds to antibiotics, but chronic sinusitis may require anti-inflammatory medications, irrigation, and sometimes surgery to ‘open up traffic’ between the sinuses and the nasal passages,” Flores says. Options for treating chronic sinusitis include:
Antibiotics for four weeks or moreAntifungal medicationSteroid nasal sprays to fight nasal and sinus inflammationAntihistamines or allergy shots for allergic sinusitisSurgery to open and drain sinuses or to remove nasal obstructions that block sinus drainage
“Allergic fungal sinusitis is difficult to treat and often requires surgery,” Flores says. “It is more common in people who have diabetes or a weakened immune system from other causes.”
Managing Your Chronic Sinusitis Symptoms
If you have chronic sinusitis, your doctor may ask you to see an allergist, an ENT, or both. They can help you get started with treatment, but there is a lot you can do to manage sinus problems on your own:
Drink plenty of fluids to keep your mucus thin and flowingUse steam or hot compresses to loosen up thick mucus secretionsKeep you environment moist by using a clean humidifierUse over-the-counter saline nasal sprays or irrigations to open nasal and sinus passagesAvoid overuse of over-the-counter decongestant sprays that can cause rebound congestion
Remember that sinusitis symptoms could be due to a sinus infection, but they also might be the result of an allergy or fungus. Your doctor can help you find out the true cause and get you to the right specialist for treatment.
