Sinus pressure brings on a range of painful symptoms, including ongoing sinus headaches that can make living life extremely difficult. Sinus inflammation and swelling, caused by allergies, viruses, infections, influenza, or the common cold, can prevent mucus from draining, causing a build-up of pressure – and a lot of pain and discomfort.
Dr. Zadeh at the Los Angeles Sinus Institute uses advanced diagnostic techniques to isolate the cause of sinus pressure, and all of the symptoms associated with the condition. He tailors and develops an individual treatment plan for each patient, with a focus on treating the source of the disease, not just the symptoms, and on treating the whole patient, not just the sinus-related health issue.
SINUS PRESSURE AND SINUSITIS
Sinusitis is an inflammation of the nasal sinuses, which are found in several different locations, near the nose, on both sides of the face. Under normal circumstances, the membrane lining the sinuses produces small amounts of mucus to keep the tissue moist and to help trap and clear dust, bacteria, and viruses from the nose.
When bacteria, funguses, viruses, or allergies cause inflammation to set in, the mucosal lining the sinuses substantially increases the production of mucus. As inflammation also leads to swelling of the membrane, sinus drainage can become blocked, creating sinus pressure building, further inflammation, more mucus, and more swelling and pressure.
SINUS PRESSURE AND SINUSITISSYMPTOMS
Anyone who has suffered a severe sinus headache or sinus pressure knows what an unpleasant and painful experience it can be. The symptoms associated with sinusitis may include:
- Pain in the face that may worsen with straining or bending down
- Pain radiating to the forehead, temples, or cheeks
- Facial swelling and tenderness
- Earache
- Dizziness
- Pain in the jaw
- Nasal congestion
- Post-nasal drip
- Aching upper teeth
- Thick green or yellow nasal discharge
- Irritation of the throat
- Loss of or diminished sense of smell
- Tight or full feeling in the face
- Unpleasant breath odor
- General fatigue and malaise
COMPLICATIONS OF CHRONIC SINUSITIS
Chronic sinusitis is a diseased condition that continues for more than three months. When sinusitis becomes chronic, it can not only cause severe sinus headaches but also lead to other serious health complications when left untreated. Complications may include:
- Acute asthma triggered by sinusitis;
- Reduced vision or blindness when infection in the sinuses spreads to the eyes;
- Meningitis when infection spreads to the lining of the brain; and
- Blood clots or aneurysms when infection affects the veins surrounding the sinuses, reducing blood supply to the brain.
SINUS PRESSURE TREATMENT IN LOS ANGELES
Sinusitis symptoms are similar to the symptoms of allergies or the common cold. When you come to Los Angeles Sinus Institute for treatment of sinus pressure or sinus headaches in Los Angeles, Dr. Zadeh will use advanced medical technology to accurately diagnose your condition. Diagnostic techniques at our disposal include sinus CT imaging, nasal endoscopy, allergy testing, and nasal and sinus cultures.
CAT scans are performed in our office with a Xoran MiniCAT™ scanner. Scans are fast (20 to 40 seconds) safe, and comfortable. This scanner has an open, patient-friendly design that eliminates the claustrophobic feeling many patients experience with full-body CT scanners.
For nasal and sinus cultures, our patients have access to our state-of-the-art, in-house microbiology laboratory. We also perform skin testing for allergies, in a painless, in-office procedure, to determine whether immunotherapy (allergy shots) may be indicated to help reduce sinus inflammation.
Depending on the nature and source of the disease, sinusitis and sinus pressure may be treated with antibiotics, saline nasal sprays, inhaled nasal steroids, decongestants, allergy shots, or sinus surgery. You can have confidence that Dr. Zadeh will provide caring, individualized treatment, using the safest, most advanced, minimally invasive techniques.
Contact the Los Angeles Sinus Institute to schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Zadeh, a board-certified otolaryngologist (head and neck surgeon), in Los Angeles, CA.