Sinusitis

When sinusitis begins, your symptoms feel like a common cold. But when the congestion and sinus pressure don’t improve, you may have chronic sinusitis. At Allergy and Asthma Institute, LLC, Lakshmi Reddy, MD, specializes in comprehensive sinus care, including diagnosing and treating acute and chronic sinusitis. If you have ongoing sinus symptoms, don’t wait to seek help because the problem seldom improves on its own. Call the office in Duluth, Georgia, or book an appointment online today.

What causes sinusitis?

Sinusitis occurs when inflammation develops inside your sinuses, the hollow cavities in bones around your nose. This problem often arises when viruses from a common cold or the flu get into one or more sinuses.

You can also end up with sinusitis if you have frequent allergies. Though not as common, a structural problem like nasal polyps or a deviated septum blocks the sinus opening.

What symptoms does sinusitis cause?

Sinusitis causes one or more of the following symptoms:

• Stuffy, congested nose
• Thick nasal discharge
• Postnasal drip
• Facial pressure or pain (around your sinuses)
• Tenderness in your face and teeth
• Recurrent headaches
• Loss of smell
• Runny nose
• Throat clearing
• Throat irritation
• Hoarseness
• Ear pressure
• Fatigue

In most cases, an acute case of sinusitis clears up in four weeks. If your symptoms last 12 weeks or longer, you have chronic sinusitis.

Your sinusitis can remain even after the initial infection goes away because the inflammation sticks around. The accumulating mucus inside the sinus may also develop a bacterial infection.

How is sinusitis treated?

The viral infection that causes acute sinusitis naturally runs its course. During an acute episode of sinusitis, your provider recommends or prescribes medications to alleviate your symptoms and reduce inflammation.  

If you develop chronic sinusitis, your treatment begins with anti-inflammatory nasal sprays and saltwater irrigation to clear your nose. Your provider also carefully examines your nose to be sure you don’t have polyps or a deviated septum.

People who have a structural blockage may need a procedure to remove the problem. But if you don’t have blockages, your provider may recommend a balloon sinuplasty.

How does balloon sinuplasty treat sinusitis?

During a balloon sinuplasty, your provider guides a slim catheter through your nose to the sinus. After placing the catheter in the sinus opening, they deploy and inflate a balloon to reopen the sinus.

After cleaning out the sinus, your provider deflates the balloon and removes the catheter. However, you get long-lasting relief because the balloon’s pressure restructures the opening, helping to restore the normal mucus flow.

Chronic sinusitis seldom clears up without treatment. If you need experienced care, call Allergy and Asthma Institute, LLC, or book an appointment online today.

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