Several Ways to Treat Your Chronic Sinusitis
Your sinuses are an important part of your bodily system. They allow air to flow through your nasal passages, and in turn allow you to breathe. When they become blocked by allergens, you can become congested. In most cases, over the counter medications can help relieve congestion. The true problem occurs when your sinuses become inflamed continuously, which is referred to as sinusitis.
How Do Your Sinuses Work?
The sinus is a connected system of air-filled cavities at the low center of your forehead and each side of your nose. Sinuses have mucous membranes, which produce mucus that drains through the two small openings of your nasal cavity. When this drainage system becomes blocked due to an infection or allergy, it leads to sinusitis.
How Do You Know If You Have Sinusitis?
Sinusitis symptoms are similar to those of a cold. However, they differ because sinusitis symptoms last several weeks while the common cold disappears within a few days.
The most common sinusitis symptoms include having a runny nose, congestion due to mucus buildup in the throat, and an itchy nose and eyes.
How Can Chronic Sinusitis Be Treated?
There are several ways that you can use to treat sinusitis. In most cases, sinusitis is diagnosed depending on the duration that you have had it. The most common types of sinusitis include:
- Acute Sinusitis – This happens within the first four weeks of having sinus inflammation due to an infection or allergy.
- Subacute Sinusitis – This is usually observed when you have been having sinusitis for around 4 to 12 weeks.
- Chronic Sinusitis – This occurs when you have had sinus inflammation for over 12 weeks continuously.
- Recurrent Sinusitis – This happens when you have been having recurring sinusitis several times within the year.
To treat Sinusitis, you can use any of the following ways:
Medical Therapy
The doctor will first find out the cause of sinusitis. It might be allergies, infection, inflammatory disorders, or a combination. The doctor will perform diagnoses like listening to your symptoms, testing by inserting a tool into the nose to check for sinus passages, and collecting imaging.
After the diagnosis, the doctor will start treating the underlying cause and diminish the inflammation that makes your sinus passages drain. They will do this by giving you corticosteroids and thinning nasal secretion.
Medical therapy will be initiated to do away with chronic sinuses and prevent them from recurring. Medical treatment can include:
- Intranasal Corticosteroid – It is used to reduce inflammation in the nasal passages.
- Antibiotics – The right antibiotics are given after testing the cause of sinusitis.
- Oral corticosteroids – They are prescribed in case antibiotics don’t respond.
- Immunotherapy – Some people with chronic sinusitis can be prescribed immunotherapy like intravenous immunoglobulins to make the body fight the infection and inflammation in the sinus cavities.
Balloon Sinuplasty
Balloon sinuplasty can be used to treat people who go through the chronic nasal blockage and sinus inflammation. This procedure involves putting a balloon catheter into nasal cavities to reach the sinuses. At that point, the balloon is inflated to open ways in the nasal surrounding. The passageways are then drained and cleared using a saline condition.
Once the nasal passageways are cleared, the doctor will flatten the balloon and remove it from the nasal cavities. The patient is usually kept under anesthesia throughout the procedure. Balloon sinuplasty can be performed at the hospital, home, or office.
Seeing a Specialist
Sinusitis is real. The good thing is that you don’t have to live with it. If you get a runny or blocked nose, it might be sinusitis. In case you experience any of the above symptoms, you should schedule an appointment immediately and have a proper diagnosis.
At Advanced Sinus Relief Centers, we do offer balloon sinuplasty in-office, allowing you to get your sinusitis cured without the hassle of visiting the hospital. There is no need for you to suffer from sinusitis. We are here to cure your sinusitis.
