Sinus Headaches

What are the causes of the Sinus Headache?

When there is a bacterial or viral infection in the sinuses, the sinuses swell up due to the inflammation. The allergic reaction which causes the inflammation blocks the channels that drain the sinuses. The allergic reaction like hay fever can also cause the inflammation of the sinuses. This inflammation results in more production of the fluid inside the sinuses. As the fluid production increases, the pressure inside the sinuses increases. After a certain period of the infection, the bacteria and the virus travels into the stagnant fluid into the sinuses and causes an infection. Mostly the infection is caused by a virus. Bacterial and fungal infections are really rare.

What are the symptoms of the Sinus inflammation and headache?

Some of the most common symptoms of the Sinus infection are as elaborated below:

• Inflammation of the sinuses
• Discoloured and thick discharge from the nose
• Postnasal drainage is the condition in which drainage happens from the back of the throat.
• Obstruction or congestion in the nasal passage resulting in the difficulty in breathing from the nose.
• Tenderness and swelling around the eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead.
• You might experience pain and puffiness around the eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead.
• The reduction of the sense of smell and taste.
• Pain in the ear
• Upper jaw and teeth ache
• Frequent coughing and clearing of the throat
• Tiredness and fatigue
• Persisting weakness and drowsiness
• Sore throat
• Bad smell of breath
• The lymph nodes in the neck might get swollen due to presence of some infection.
• Persisting or  recurrent fever
• Swelling or redness around the eyes 
• Severe persisting headache
• Swelling of the forehead
• Confusion and memory loss
• Stiff neck
• Double vision and other problems related to vision like blurry vision, etc.

What are the complications related to the Sinus Headache?

There are plenty of complications related to the Sinus Headache. Some of the most common complications are:

• Rebound headaches
• There  can be problems related to abdomen
• Serotonin Syndrome is a condition which is caused by the elevated levels of the serotonin(a chemical in the bran) in the brain. Overuse of certain medications like triptans and antidepressants especially, the level of the serotonin in the brain.

The most common symptoms of Serotonin symptoms are as follows:

• Agitation and feeling of confusion
• Too much sweating
• Diarrhoea 
• Irregular heartbeat especially increased heart rate.
• Twitching of muscles

Sinus headache treatment

There are various treatments available for the Sinus Headache. Some of the most common treatment procedures for the Sinus Headache are as follows:

Nasal corticosteroids

These are the nasal sprays which are useful for the prevention of as well as the treatment for the inflammation. If your body isn’t responding to the nasal sprays effectively then your doctor might suggest you rinse with a solution of saline mixed with budesonide drops. Your health practitioner might also suggest using a nasal mist of the solution of saline mixed with budesonide drops. The nasal sprays usually contain the following components in them like fluticasone, triamcinolone, budesonide, mometasone and beclomethasone.

Saline nasal irrigation

In this procedure of treatment, a saline water solution is used to rinse away all the mucus and the allergens from the nasal cavity.  It is poured from one nostril and is passed out from the other nostril before which it passes through the nasal cavity. 

Oral or injected corticosteroids

If you have nasal polyps, the oral or injected corticosteroids help in treating them. These medications are highly helpful for relieving inflammation which occurs in the case of the chronic sinusitis. Long term usage of these medications can have several adverse side effects, therefore these are used only for the treatment of the extreme severe symptoms.

Aspirin desensitization treatment

If your health practitioner detects that you are allergic to aspirin and that is causing the sinusitis, then larger doses of aspirin will be given to an individual for increasing their tolerance to aspirin.

Antibiotics

If you have a bacterial infection causing sinusitis or if your doctor isn’t being able to detect the underlying infection, he or she might suggest you intake some antibiotics along with other medications.

Immunotherapy

If your immune system is not strong enough and if you are allergic to certain specific allergens which are contributing to the causes of the sinusitis, immunotherapy is given. This helps in the reduction of the reaction of the body to those specific allergens.

Surgery

Sinus surgery is always used for the treatment of the Sinusitis if a person shows resistance to the treatment via medications or other procedures. Using the upper endoscopy, any obstruction or resistance is detected. The doctor will use various instruments to remove the tissues or shave away a polyp. The types of instruments which are used for the surgery depend on the source of the obstruction. 

What are the preventive measures for the Sinus Headache?

The measures which are really helpful for the prevention of the Sinus Headache are:

• Healthy and hygienic practices like washing hands properly, etc can help in the prevention of colds and the upper respiratory tract diseases and infections.
• Decreasing or cutting down on smoking habits can also help in decreasing the risk of any airway or respiratory infections.
• If an individual is allergic to some specific allergens, it is necessary to avoid any kind of allergy triggers for preventing the problems related to sinusitis.
• It is very necessary to hydrate really well and humidifying the air can also help in the efficient fluid drainage from the sinuses.

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