Identifying Acute Sinusitis

It’s not uncommon for patients with sinus pain to describe the pain as “acute.” But clinically acute sinusitis bears certain telltale markers that normal severe sinus pain does not, as this article describes:

Acute sinusitis (lasting less than four weeks) is most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infections, and even allergens or environmental irritants. Viruses usually cause the majority of acute sinus infections in the general population and can be associated with an upper respiratory infection. In cases of chronic sinusitis (lasting 12 weeks or more), the causes are more complex and can commonly be an interaction of recurrent acute sinusitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis, immune disorders or structural abnormalities like a deviated septum or nasal polyps.

It goes on from there to describe the common pathway that leads from acute sinusitis to chronic sinusitis, two disorders connected by the inflammation that defines the former and creates the latter. Indeed, when inflammation cannot be wrested under control, sinus surgery is usually your best bet to feel better.

If you have experienced the pain and persistent headaches of acute sinusitis, please don’t hesitate: Call the Los Angeles Sinus Institute today.