Introduction

Many of you must have experienced that typical sensation triggering a varied range of pain in the parts of your head. The pain creates inconvenience, stress, and discomfort, hampers the routine, and makes daily activities challenging. This pain in the head and face area is termed a headache. The pain may be in different parts of the head with varying duration and symptoms. Headaches are common, and some people are more prone than others. However, its frequency and associated symptoms must be monitored to prevent them from worsening to severe health conditions. 

Headaches may result from environmental changes or routine changes, like exposure to excessive noise, heat, or fast observation. Sometimes, they may be the symptom of underlying disease, as in the case of sinusitis. The cause of headaches could be different. The difference in the type of headaches must be understood to treat it effectively and timely. 

The present blog discusses sinus headaches, how they are different from other headaches and their treatment options to enable readers to make informed decisions about treating specific types of headaches effectively.

Types of Headache

The throbbing pain of headaches is known to many; its severity, symptoms, and treatment may differ depending on its type. The different types of headaches are –

• Migraine headache is a reoccurring headache with pain on one side. It often comes with blurry vision, heightened sensitivity to light and sound, or nausea and vomiting.
• Tension headaches are often caused by stress, tension, and anxiety with symptoms of pain, tenderness in the head, face, and neck, and sensitivity to light and/or sound.
• Cluster headache is a severe and recurring headache, with symptoms of watery eyes, blocked nose, and swelling eyelids.
• Hormone headache is also known as menstrual headache and is caused in women due to hormonal changes.
• Sinus headache is caused by an infection in the sinuses.
• Hypnic headache usually occurs in old age with no specific cause identified.
• Rebound headache is a secondary type of headache caused by overuse of medications. It may subside with medication but reoccurs.

What is a sinus headache?

A sinus headache is caused when the sinuses get inflamed and blocked due to infection and cannot drain the mucus from the nasal passage. The resultant pressure in the sinuses causes pain in the head. A sinus is a space inside the forehead, cheeks, and behind the nose. The space is filled with air, which helps drain the mucus, keeping the nasal passage clear from bacteria and other types of infection. The condition of infection and inflammation in the tissue lining of the sinuses is known as sinusitis. Sinusitis is caused by viruses, bacteria, allergens, or fungi infection. 

How is sinus headache different from other types of headaches?

Headaches due to sinuses are often mistaken for other types of headaches like migraine, tension headaches, and hypnic headaches, to name a few. However, the cause, symptoms, severity, and duration of the headache help determine the type of headache.

• Sinus headaches and migraines are often confused due to shared symptoms like watery eyes, pressure on the face, congestion, pain while bending forward, or runny nose. Migraine causes pain on one side of the temple, eyes, and back of the forehead. It is associated with sensitivity to loud noise, bright lights, nausea, and vomiting. The pain lasts for hours or a day or two.
• Similarly, tension headaches caused by stress, fatigue, anxiety, and exposure to sound last for a few hours. The pain is felt in the entire head and is mild or moderate. It affects the back of the head, the neck, and both sides.
• The rebound headache caused by overuse of medications is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, restlessness, loss of memory, and irritability. Pain-relieving medications help relieve the pain for the time being, and the headache rebounds when its effect is gone. The overuse of pain relievers triggers headaches.
• On the other hand, a sinus headache caused by infection is followed by fever. It causes thick discoloration of mucus discharge, cough, pain in the cheeks and teeth, or loss or decrease in sense of smell. It lasts for days or weeks, depending on the type of sinusitis.

How to treat a sinus headache?

The treatment options for each type of headache are different and unique. One must avoid trying to treat one type of headache with the treatment option of the other and prevent its worsening.

Sinus headaches must be treated with an effective diagnosis of the underlying causes and symptoms through allergy tests, X-rays or CT scans. Risk factors like allergies, colds, exposure to smoking, weakened immune system, and structural nasal deformity need to be understood and addressed. The treatment starts with home remedies to relieve the pain, which include nasal sprays, steam inhalation or use of vaporizers, and the application of warm compressors to relieve swelling or pain in the affected areas. 

Medications like antihistamines that prevent allergies, decongestants for reducing swelling, steroids for reducing inflammation, and pain medicines for pain relief help control the pain and discomfort of sinus headaches.

Generally, sinuses go on their own or with the help of medications. Still, in cases of severe and long-lasting symptoms of sinusitis, the doctor may recommend sinus surgery.

• FESS- Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery- FESS is a simple and standard surgical treatment option for unhealthy sinuses. The surgery involves widening the nasal passages between the nose and the sinuses to remove the infected bone or tissues obstructing the drainage of the mucus. 
• Balloon Sinus Ostial Dilation- Balloon sinuplasty drains the mucus and relieves the patient of sinus symptoms using a balloon placed at the tip of the flexible catheter. When the catheter reaches the correct position, the balloon is inflated to open and widen the sinus cavities, and the mucus gets flushed out. The procedure does not require incisions as it is done through the nostrils.
• Turbinate Reduction- During turbinate (a small bony structure inside the nose) surgery, the surgeon reduces the turbinate size with a needle-like instrument inserted inside the nose. 

Conclusion

Sinus headaches are signs of sinus infection. They differ from other types of headaches regarding their causes, symptoms, severity, and duration. These headaches could be challenging and affect the patient’s quality of life. Most cases, the­­­ symptoms may go away with home remedies or medications. Still, in severe cases, surgical intervention might be needed. Never take frequent headaches lightly, for they may develop into worsening conditions. Timely medical attention and assessment are necessary for effectively treating sinus headaches.

Introduction

Sinusitis is common, treatable and preventable, provided its causes and symptoms are not taken lightly but addressed promptly and on time. As per the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), sinusitis affects Indians significantly. Nearly 134 million suffer from this condition, and one out of eight Indians is infected by chronic sinusitis. The condition has more prevalence than asthma, diabetes, and coronary artery disease among Indians. The condition demands proper treatment or could aggravate severe complications that could be dangerous to the patient’s health. 

This blog discusses sinusitis, a common condition that must not be overlooked, as the various potential complications it carries if left untreated could be severe and life-threatening.

Sinuses and Sinusitis

Sinuses are cavities in the nasal passage with mucus lining that helps keep the passage moist and lubricated. Healthy sinuses are air-filled without any bacterial or pathogen presence. Sinuses are behind the cheeks, forehead, eyes, and nasal bones. They act as air filters and humidifiers, help enhance voice resonance, and reduce the head’s weight.

Sinusitis is a condition of inflamed sinuses. When the air in the sinuses gets infected with bacteria, viruses, or pathogens, they get inflamed and blocked with mucus, causing difficulty in breathing. It has symptoms similar to the common cold and is often confused with the latter. Though the condition is non-communicable, the infection-causing bacteria or viruses may pass from person to person.

Sinusitis symptoms – The condition causes headaches, facial pain and pressure, stuffy nose, sneezing, eye and nose itchiness, and breathing difficulties. Some other sinusitis symptoms are bad breath, loss of smell and taste, running nose, fever, cough, sore throat, and fatigue.

Causes of sinusitis- Sinusitis could affect anyone at any time. However, people with allergies, bronchitis, asthma, weakened immune systems, nasal polyps or nasal deformity, smokers, and second-hand smokers are more prone to developing sinusitis.

Types of sinuses- The four major types of sinuses are-

• Maxillary sinuses – on each side of the nose, next to the cheekbones (the maxillae), and below the eyes.
• Frontal sinuses – close to the forehead and above the eyes.
• Ethmoid sinuses – close to the eyes on each side of the nasal bridge. 
• Sphenoid sinuses – deeper within your skull, behind the eyes.

Need for Sinusitis Treatment

Sinusitis is a common condition affecting your sinuses with inflammation. Still, it requires adequate and appropriate treatment to prevent its aggravation. It is not just an allergic condition. 

It is more than an occasionally irritating condition requiring just a few doses of medication and rest.

The treatment for the condition starts with self-care, medications, and alternative treatment modalities. If these do not help treat the condition, medical procedures drain the fluid from the nasal passage.

If treated appropriately, one can be relieved of sinusitis symptoms for good, but if not, the condition can worsen and may cause severe health issues. 

Potential Sinusitis Complications from Untreated or Poorly Treated Sinusitis

One must watch for the potential sinusitis complications that may arise in the long term if the condition is left untreated or improperly treated. These complications can adversely affect the overall health of an individual. 

The various complications associated with chronic sinusitis are-

• Loss of smell and taste- The loss of smell renders an individual unable to enjoy food and other finer things in fine, be it food, natural fragrance of flora, or scents. The loss of smell could be partial, called hyposmia, or complete, known as anosmia. The loss of taste makes food taste bland, causing patients to add more salt and other spices that might lead to problems like high blood pressure and gastrointestinal or kidney issues in the long run. Patients often lose interest in eating food, leading to weight loss, nutritional deficiency, depression, and other health problems.
• Infection to other body parts- Though sinusitis is not contagious, the bacteria and viruses that cause the condition can, if not treated, spread to other parts of the body like the eyes, ears, skin, or the brain. The spread of the infection may damage the functionality of the affected part.
• Mucocele- Known as paranasal sinus mucocele, it is a cyst that gets formed when the sinuses cannot drain the mucus. The hardened mass of cysts may grow in size and exert pressure on the nose and sinuses, leading to difficulty in breathing. Infection in this mucocele may need an operation for its removal.
• Meningitis- Meningitis is the inflammation or infection of the membrane or fluid surrounding the brain or spinal cord. The membrane is a protective layer of the brain and spinal cord. Untreated sinusitis could spread infection in the fluid or membrane surrounding the brain, bones, or spinal cord, leading to meningitis, a severe and life-threatening condition.
• Sinus thrombosis- Cavernous sinus thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot in the cavernous sinuses. Cavernous sinuses are cavities under the brain and behind the eye sockets. The blood clot may develop due to infection in the face or skull. Blood clots prevent the spread of infection, but when the clot is in cavernous sinuses, it restricts the blood flow from the brain, creating pressure and damaging the brain, eyes, and other nerves. It could turn fatal without immediate treatment.
• Orbital cellulitis- Infection of the soft tissue of the eye socket behind the orbital septum is known as orbital cellulitis. The orbital septum is a thin tissue that separates the eyelid and the eye socket. Sinusitis can spread infection in the eyes, causing eye irritation, swelling, puffiness, redness, and even vision loss in the long run without adequate treatment.

Conclusion

It is unwise to consider sinusitis a common and less harmful condition and ignore its treatment. Untreated conditions can be potentially dangerous, with severe complications that may adversely affect the individual’s health beyond repair. The potential risk to overall health could be chronic and life-threatening. Ensure your sinus health through hygiene, adequate hydration, and avoiding exposure to sinus irritants. Consult your doctor immediately if you have sinusitis symptoms and get the treatment without any delay. 

References

https://www.mdpi.com/2673351X/5/1/2#:~:text=An%20estimated%20134%20million%20Indians,congestion%20and%20obstruction%20%5B1%5D
https://www.merillife.com/blog/medtech/sinus-causes-symptoms