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Causes And Treatment Of Chronic Sinus Headaches |
15.08.2009 19:22 |
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Chronic sinus headaches are caused by sinusitis, which is an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses. There are actually four different sinuses, any of which can become inflamed. Various factors can cause the paranasal sinuses to become inflamed. For example, inflammation of the sinuses and nasal tissue could be the result of a virus, respiratory infection, bacteria or an autoimmune problem. Medical experts generally define a chronic sinus headache as the pain associated with sinusitis that has lasted for a period of three months or longer. The symptoms of sinusitis include a chronic headache pain felt as uncomfortable pressure behind the cheeks, forehead or eyes. This pain is often accompanied by fever, a feeling of nasal congestion and an unpleasant smell coming from the nostrils. The pain and pressure often seem much worse if the patient bends down or leans forward for any reason. For example, your pain may become more severe when you bend to tie your shoe laces before leaving the house. Different Medications If your health care provider diagnoses chronic sinus headaches caused by sinusitis then the first course of action generally involves medication. Various medications can be prescribed to treat different aspects of the condition. For example, a decongestive nasal spray can be used to clear the mucus in the nose, while antibiotics may be used fight off the actual infection. You can use an over-the-counter analgesic such as ibuprofen to counter the chronic sinus headache, and your health care provider may decide to give you a corticosteroid to reduce the inflammation of your sinuses and nasal passages. When Drugs Don't Work In most cases antibiotics are able to get rid of sinusitis infections. However, sometimes a sinusitis infection is so severe that medication can not get rid of it. If this should happen to you, it does not mean that you are doomed to suffer from chronic sinus headaches forever. In the event that the infection cannot be treated with medicine your health care provider will probably decide to send you for a CAT scan to determine the severity of your problem. Treatment may come in the form of a stronger dose of antibiotics. If your problem is particularly severe, your doctor may refer you to a specialist who will unblock the sinuses surgically. The surgical procedure for sinusitis usually involves the extraction of infected tissue to help drain the sinuses. The surgeon might also need to take away some bone to help with the drainage of mucus. If there are any growths or polyps in your sinuses or nasal cavity the surgeon will eliminate these too. After the surgery, you will no longer suffer from chronic sinus headaches. |
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