Sinus Problems and Their Diagnosis

Sinus problems can prove to be potentially fatal and hence their diagnosis is very important. There are many ways in which sinus problems and sinusitis can be spotted. The sinusitis symptoms are usually very clear and obvious. The most common symptoms include a tender cheek when tapped and tenderness in the forehead region as well, swelling and inflammation of the nasal passages. Facial swelling and pain in the eyes along with presence of pus in the mucus discharge also indicate sinusitis and/or serious sinus problems.

Most sinus problems and particularly sinusitis are characterized by halitosis or bad breath, cough and congestion. Diagnosis of the symptoms of sinusitis can be dependent on their seriousness and whether the sinusitis is acute or chronic. The signs of chronic sinusitis often involve medical scanning and a more intense diagnosis. Often doctors take a look at the nasal secretions and discharge from the nose. This will help the them distinguish between sinusitis caused by infection and that caused by allergy.

The infectious sinusitis often shows polymorphonuclear cells which are cells of infection, whereas allergic sinusitis will show eosinophils which are specialized cells of allergy. The diagnosis also determines the course of the medication. Antibiotics are usually prescribed for bacterial attack although, viral infection require some other form of medication.

Another form of diagnosis is needle aspiration. In this method, a needle is punctured through the nasal passage after applying local anesthesia, as it could be painful. This is usually the last resort as most of the non-infecting bacteria are present in the nasal passages. After aspirating the sinus, the cells obtained by needle puncture are sent to the lab for culture and diagnosed. This will give a fair indication of what is causing the sinusitis.

Doctors also use rigid and flexible means of endoscopy. This involves using an optical fiber tube to directly look at the nasal cavity to see what the cause of obstruction of the nasal passage is. A thin, flexible tube could also be used in less serious cases to find out what is the cause of nasal clogging.

Ultrasound techniques are popular diagnosis tools and particularly in the case of pregnant women to determine the cause of sinusitis. Sound waves after getting reflected from the obstruction in the nasal passage give a fair idea of the cause of sinusitis. MRI scan or CT scan can also show deformation inside the passage.

Medications for pain and fever and mucolytics are often used to treat acute sinusitis. Antibiotics like amoxicillin and augmentin are used to combat sinusitis. Medications have to be administered carefully after thorough diagnosis as some individuals may be allergic to penicillin. Nasal irrigation which involves cleaning the nasal passages using nasal sprays or neti pots is a simple, yet effective way to prevent clogging. The nasal sprays available usually have anti-septic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory properties which will provide relief to the infected mucus lining. Nasal steroid sprays containing corticosteroids can also be used.

If simple treatments like nasal irrigation and antibiotics do not work effectively doctors resort to minor surgery to actually treat chronic sinusitis. This might include balloon sinuplasty where a balloon is inflated in the nasal passage to increase the width and prevent clogging and congestion. Removal of nasal polyps that can be obstructive in the nasal passages. Doctors can also remedy birth defects like crooked nasal septum which might cause imbalance of pressure inside the nasal passages.