Many people in Hong Kong have allergic rhinitis (nose allergy), running nose affect their daily lives especially during seasonal change. Pay attention if the allergy persists 14 days, and the nasal secretion turns yellow and green, since this maybe the sign of sinusitis which will affect our sense of smell, or in severe case, will lead to meningitis or blindness if not treated. Dr Ng Kin Pong, Specialist in Otorhinolaryngology, will introduce sinusitis to us.
What is Sinusitis? What are the causes?
The paranasal sinus includes frontal sinus, sphenoid sinus, ethmoid sinus and maxillary sinus which are situated in the hollow air-filled spaces in the bones of the skull that connected to the nose. When the membrane covering the connection between the nose and the paranasal sinus become swollen and the connection is blocked, secretion inside cannot be discharged, bacteria is easily reproduced and infect the paranasal sinus and lead to sinusitis.
What are the symptoms of Sinusitis?
- Stuffy nose
- Nasal discharge turns yellow and green with unpleasant odor
- Poor sense of smell
- Facial pain
- Headache
- Fever (in some cases)
- Symptoms persists for 14 days
How to distinguish cold, allergic rhinitis and sinusitis?
Symptoms comparison among cold, allergic rhinitis and sinusitis
| Symptoms | Cold | Allergic Rhinitis | Sinusitis |
| Facial pain | Sometimes | Sometimes | Yes |
| Nasal discharge | White, thick and sticky | Clean, transparent | Yellow, green, thick and sticky |
| Stuffy nose | Yes | Sometimes | Yes |
| Fever | Mild | Nil | Sometimes |
| Sneezing | Yes | Sometimes | Nil |
| Persistent period | Less than 10 days | Variable | Over 14 days |
How to treat sinusitis?
Dr Ng suggested patients not to buy medicine by themselves; instead, they should consult doctor. In general case, doctor will give patients antibiotics, anti-allergic medicine and steroids spray, etc for treatment for 2 to 3 weeks. In severe case, endoscopic sinus surgery may be adopted to remove thick secretion of the infected tissues, patient need to take rest for 1 week before going back to work.
What will happen if sinusitis is not treated correctly?
Sinusitis will also destroy sense of smell as infection can spread to olfactory cleft and cause damage to smelling function. Besides, sinusitis can lead to the formation of nasal polyp in the paranasal sinus and further affect sense of smell. Dr Ng states that sinusitis can also spread to tissues nearby. Among which the thin layer between ethomoid sinus and eyeball allows bacteria to penetrate into the eye socket in 3-4 days and cause infection. The eyeball is then squeezed and protruded by the thick secretion, leading to blur and double vision. In severe case, vision will be affected and may cause blindness. In some rare cases, bacteria penetrate through frontal sinus and infect the meninge, causing meningitis.
How to prevent sinusitis?
Dr Ng said that most sinusitis cases are led by allergic rhinitis; nose allergy patients are suggested to avoid contact of allergen such as pollen, animal hairs or dust. Consult your doctor as soon as possible if symptoms of sinusitis first appear.
Special thanks:
Ng Kin Pong, Specialist in Otorhinolaryngology