Sinusitis

What are the symptoms of sinusitis?

• Difficulty breathing through the nose
• Fever
• Throbbing pain in the cheek, forehead area between the eyes
• Sensation of heaviness in the head
• Sensation of fullness in the face
• Thick yellowish or greenish nasal discharge - there may be mucus dripping to the back of the throat, often causing a cough that is worse on lying down.

Some people may also experience aching pain in the jaw, teeth or ears or a reduced sense of smell and taste. Other general symptoms include:

• Bad breath
• Fever
• Nausea
• Fatigue

In situations where there is significant inflammation of the mucosa membrane, the drainage pathway may be blocked, leading to trapping of mucus within the sinuses. This leads to the symptoms of blocked nose, nasal congestion, facial pain as well as foulsmelling discharge. The cause may be viral, bacterial or fungal in nature.