The classic symptoms of acute sinusitis usually follow a cold that
does not improve, or one that worsens after 5 to 7 days of symptoms.
They include:
- Nasal congestion and discharge
- Sore throat and postnasal drip (fluid dripping down the back of
your throat, especially at night or when lying down)
-
Headache -- pressure-like pain, pain behind the eyes, toothache,
or facial tenderness
- Cough, often worse at night
- Fever (may be present)
- Bad breath or loss of smell
- Fatigue and generally not feeling well
Symptoms of
chronic sinusitis are the same as acute sinusitis, but
tend to be milder and last longer than 8 weeks.
Signs
and tests
Your doctor will test for sinusitis by:
-
Tapping over a sinus area. Tenderness may indicate infection.
-
Shining a light against the sinus (called transillumination). If
dark, this indicates possible inflammation.
Other tests that might be considered include:
However, these tests are relatively insensitive for detecting
sinusitis, and are often considered unnecessary.
A CT scan of the sinuses is a much better test to help diagnose
sinusitis. If sinusitis is thought to involve tumor or fungal
infections, an MRI of the sinuses may be necessary.
If you have chronic or recurrent sinusitis, further laboratory
evaluation may be necessary to look for an underlying disorder. This may
involve sweat chloride tests for cystic fibrosis, ciliary function
tests, blood tests for HIV or other tests for immunodeficiency, allergy
testing, or nasal cytology (checking the cells in the nasal secretions).
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