The nose which is an organ of smell and main passage of air in and out of the lungs have some hollow spaces around it in the facial bones called paranasal sinuses. We have four kinds of paranasal sinuses and these are the MAXILLARY, ETHMOID, FRONTAL AND SPHENOID SINUSES. These sinuses reduce the weight of the facial bones while maintaining bone strength and shape. It also adds resonance to our voice through its air filled spaces.

Like our nasal cavity, sinuses are lined with a mucous membrane which contains cells that is responsible in producing mucus. Incoming particles like dust and pollens are trapped by the mucus and moved by the cilia into the nasal cavity through a small sinus opening called OSTIA and then removed when a person sneezes.

These openings are very small therefore, it can easily be blocked. Colds or allergies which produce swelling of the mucous membrane are the common causes of the blockage of these small sinus openings. Blockage of the sinus drainage leads to sinus inflammation and would further progress into SINUSITIS if infection occurs.

Having sinusitis is not as easy as having ordinary colds. It comes with pain and discomfort to the person suffering such illness. The level of pain depends on which part of sinuses was affected. For instance, if the maxillary sinus is affected, the person often feels pain over the cheeks just below the eyes. Toothache and headache have also been reported by patients. If the affected part is the frontal sinus, it produces headache on the forehead and is often described as a feeling of heaviness in the frontal area of the head. In ethmoid sinusitis, the pain is usually felt behind and between the eyes and head. It is often described as a splitting headache. In sphenoid sinusitis, the pain is not felt in a specific area only, rather it may be felt on either front or at the back of the head or both at the same time.

Yellow and green pus could possibly be discharged from the nose and often accompanied with fever and chills. The most dangerous signs and symptoms of sinusitis that needs immediate action is when the infected person experiences any change in vision and swelling around the eyes because within a few minutes, this could potentially lead to blindness.

Most people would attribute sinusitis as a common cold and would often feel unthreatened and expect that it will just go away in a couple of days. On the contrary this is way far different from a common cold. Sinusitis has to be treated and needs to be watched out for since it could worsen and may lead to complications such as blindness, meningitis or other severe medical problems that could also lead to death.

Prevention is always the best way to be healthy. Sinusitis could be prevented simply by reducing exposure to allergens, improving household ventilation by opening windows whenever possible,

using a humidifier in the home or office especially when a person has a cold, sleeping with the head of the bed elevated to promote sinus drainage, avoiding air pollutants (such as smoke) that may irritate the nose, eating a well-balanced diet and exercise, and minimizing exposure to persons with known infections.