What is Chronic Sinusitis?
What is chronic sinusitis? For anyone who has ever experienced chronic sinus problems, they’ll likely tell you that it’s not very fun. There are many schools of thought behind how to treat chronic sinusitis, so it’s best to discuss your particular chronic sinus problems and chronic sinusitis causes with your doctor if you wish to get rid of chronic sinusitis permanently.
What is chronic sinusitis? Important sinusitis definitions.
Before we get into how to treat chronic sinusitis, it’s important to understand a little bit more about what exactly chronic sinusitis is.
- Also called a sinus infection, this nasal sinus disease occurs when the nasal sinuses become inflamed and swollen.
- Acute sinusitis: a temporary infection that lasts between two and three weeks and often clears up on its own or with the help of medication.
- Chronic sinusitis: a sinus infection that lasts eight weeks or more and typically requires professional treatment and the use of sinusitis antibiotics.
What is chronic sinusitis? Chronic sinusitis causes.
The means for how to treat chronic sinusitis often depends on what’s causing the infection. The following are common chronic sinusitis causes.
- Allergies: sinusitis can be caused by allergens, air pollutants, and other irritants. (If this sounds familiar, read more about allergy and sinus treatment.)
- Viral infections: a viral sinus infection is the most common type of sinus infection.
- Bacterial or fungal infections: while less common than a viral sinus infection, bacterial infections and fungal infections do occur.
- Other causes: other causes of sinusitis include other medical conditions, such as asthma and cystic fibrosis, nasal polyps, and deviated septum.
What is chronic sinusitis? Sinusitis symptoms.
How do you diagnose chronic sinusitis? Can chronic sinusitis make you tired? Since sinusitis is relatively common, doctors know to be on the lookout for the following common symptoms of sinus infections:
- Congestion and difficulty breathing through your nose
- Pain and pressure around the sinuses
- A thick, yellow or greenish nasal discharge
- Postnasal drainage
- Reduced sense of smell
- Coughing
- Headaches
- Snoring and sleep apnea (If you think your snoring and sinusitis might be connected, read more about sinus problems and snoring and chronic sinusitis and sleep apnea.)
Less common symptoms of sinus infections include:
- Fatigue
- Bad breath
- Sore throat
- Ear pain
- Nausea
- Teeth and jaw pain
Sinusitis treatment: find relief with balloon sinuplasty
If you’re asking, “What is chronic sinusitis?” You may also be wondering, can you treat chronic sinusitis? Yes! How long can blocked sinuses last? Sometimes, as long as you don’t seek treatment!
If your acute or chronic sinusitis doesn’t clear up with the use of nasal sprays, saline solutions, pain medications, you still have options. Balloon sinuplasty is a minimally invasive, in-office procedure that lasts less than 30 minutes, requires little to no recovery time, and can provide fast relief from your sinusitis symptoms.
During the procedure, a small balloon is partially inflated in the sinus passageways to both clear them, expand them, and restore healthy drainage. Dr. Bequer, a leading ENT doctor, has successfully performed balloon sinuplasty in Tampa and West Palm Beach by the hundreds.
Instead of learning everything about how to treat chronic sinusitis, you can find fast relief with a simple question. Can you cure sinusitis without surgery? Yes. If balloon sinuplasty isn’t the preferred best option for you, Dr. Bequer and the staff of Sinus Solutions of South Florida also perform other sinus treatments, as well as other traditional sinus surgeries, including functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS).
Relief is around the corner. Call Sinus Solutions of South Florida at 561-569-2988 to discuss how to treat chronic sinusitis and to request a consultation.
Related Resources on Chronic Sinusitis