Sinusitis is inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, which may be due to infection, allergy or autoimmune issues.
What are paranasal sinuses?
The term Para nasal sinuses refers to four pairs of sinuses, present in the skull. A sinus is a cavity present in the skull and is connected to the nasal airways through a narrow hole in the bone. The inner layer of sinuses is lined with mucus secreting cells which help in humidifying and warming inspired air, insulating surrounding structures and acting as buffers against injury. The four pairs of sinuses are:

• Frontal sinus (in forehead),
• Maxillary sinus (behind cheeks),
• Ethmoid sinus (between the eyes), and
• Sphenoid sinus (deep behind the ethmoids).

Sinusitis is caused whenever the drainage of mucus is affected by any cause, which leads to perfect environment for bacterial growth. The sinus opening can be blocked due to inflammation of the surrounding tissue (nasal mucosa) in

• Common cold,
• Hay fever,
• Allergies.
• Cigarette smoking
• Growths which can cause blockage of Sinus openings (nasal polyps)
• Nasal Sprays
• Certain drugs can lead to thickening of the mucus secretions

The symptoms of sinusitis are:

• Sore throat
• Cough
• Headache and /or pain over the upper jaw aggravated on coughing or chewing, or bending head forward.
• Fever
• Nasal discharge
• Feeling of heaviness all over the face
• Purulent discharge trickling into the throat leading to cough.
• Nasal discharge are usually clear or whitish in colour in non infectious (allergic) sinusitis

The diagnosis of sinusitis is usually done based on history and physical examination. A few tests that can be recommended are:

• X-Ray
• CT Scan
• MRI Scan

Related information will be available very soon sorry for inconvinience