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| Sinuses | |
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The sinuses (say: sy-nuhs-is) are hollow spaces found in the bones of the head and face. Sinuses start developing right after you are born and keep growing until you're about 20 years old. There are four pairs of sinuses, or eight in all. They are located on either side of the nose in your cheeks, behind and between the eyes, in the forehead, and there's even a pair in the very back of the nose. Sinuses are coated with the same kind of lining that's found inside the nose, the nasal membrane. This lining produces mucus (say: myoo-kuss). The mucus traps dust and germs that are in the air we breathe. On the surface of the cells of the sinus' membrane are microscopic hairs called cilia (say: sill-ee-uh). The cilia beat back and forth in waves to clear mucus from the sinuses, into the nose, and then toward the back of the nose to be swallowed. When we have a cold or a bad allergy attack, the membrane is irritated and the nose produces even more mucus.
One of the sinuses' most important jobs is to lighten your skull so you can hold up your head and keep it balanced on your neck otherwise, between your brain and the bones that make up your skull, you would have one heavy head! Sinuses also help to put moisture in the air you breathe and give you the depth or tone of your voice. They can put moisture into the air because every day, a quart or more of wet mucus slides from your sinuses into the back of your nose and down your throat. (This slippery slide happens without you even knowing it!) When this moisture-filled slime doesn't flow like it's supposed to because of an infection, it blocks your sinuses. That's why your voice sounds funny when your nose is stuffy. What about that cold that didn't want to go away? The cold viruses can injure the delicate lining cells of the sinuses. Mucus doesn't flow out the way it is supposed to. The tiny openings to the sinus get blocked by the swollen nasal membrane. The mucus that is trapped in the sinus is like water trapped in a stagnant pond. Bacteria come in and produce a sinus infection. If a cold lasts for more than 10 to 14 days, and you also have a low-grade fever, you may have sinusitis (say: sign-you-sigh-tis). This means an infection of the sinuses. Sinusitis is a pretty common infection; in fact, close to 37 million people in the U.S. have sinusitis each year. So if you've ever had sinusitis, you are not alone! There are 3 types of sinusitis: acute, sub-acute, and chronic. Because everyone is different and may have different symptoms, a doctor acts like a detective and looks for clues to decide which type you may have. Acute Sinusitis: yellow or green mucus (but discolored mucus during the course of a cold is not uncommon, so this doesn't always mean there is a sinus infection) pain over one infected sinus or pain in the cheek (this may feel like a headache or a toothache) headache that gets worse when you bend over halitosis (bad breath) Sub-acute sinusitis:
Chronic sinusitis:
stuffiness on both sides of the nose frequent headaches daytime cough upset stomach or vomiting from swallowing all the infected mucus that drips down the back of the throat It might seem like many of these symptoms sound just like those of a bad cold. Well, that's true, but there are some important differences. A virus causes a cold, and there is no cure for the common cold. You can take certain medicines to help reduce the cold symptoms, but in the meantime, you just have to wait it out until the virus goes away! Sinus infections can also be caused by viruses (a cold is a viral infection), and your body will naturally fight them off. But sometimes, sinus infections are caused by bacteria, and these kinds of infections need to be treated with strong medicine called an antibiotic. |
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