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Symptoms of Sinusitis

Contents
  1. Sinusitis: Introduction
  2. Symptoms Overview
  3. List of Symptoms of Sinusitis
  4. Tests to Confirm Diagnosis
  5. Home Diagnostic Testing
  6. Failure to Diagnose
  7. Alternative Diagnoses
  8. Misdiagnosis information
  9. Complications
  10. More about Symptoms
  11. Article Excerpts
  12. Medical articles

Symptoms of Sinusitis: Introduction

The way that sinusitis affects people can vary, but typical symptoms include headache, pain or pressure in the face or area in and around the eyes, greenish nasal discharge, swelling around the nose and eyes and eyelids and fatigue. Pain and headache may be worse when bending over or lying down. Symptoms can also resemble a toothache in the upper jaw.

The sinusitis progresses, inflammation can cause enough swelling of the sinuses to close them off, leading to a stuffy nose and difficulty breathing through the nose. Fever may also occur.

If sinusitis is not diagnosed and treated promptly, it can lead to serious, potentially life-threatening complications. The infection can spread from the sinuses into the brain, resulting in meningitis or a brain abscess. Symptoms of these complications include severe headache, fever, stiff neck, seizures, coma, and change in consciousness....more about Sinusitis »

Symptoms of Sinusitis

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Sinusitis includes the 45 symptoms listed below:

Research symptoms & diagnosis of Sinusitis:

Sinusitis: Symptom Checkers

Review the available symptom checkers for these symptoms of Sinusitis:

Sinusitis: Symptom Assessment Questionnaires

Review the available Assessment Questionnaires for the symptoms of Sinusitis:

Sinusitis: Complications

Review medical complications possibly associated with Sinusitis:

Diagnostic Testing

Diagnostic testing of medical conditions related to Sinusitis:

  • Physical examation
  • X-ray of sinuses
  • CAT scan of sinuses
  • Nasal swab tests
  • more tests...»

Research More About Sinusitis

Do I have Sinusitis?

Sinusitis: Medical Mistakes

Sinusitis: Undiagnosed Conditions

Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Sinusitis:

Wrongly Diagnosed with Sinusitis?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Sinusitis includes:

See the full list of 31

Sinusitis: Research Doctors & Specialists

Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.

More about symptoms of Sinusitis:

More information about symptoms of Sinusitis and related conditions:

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Sinusitis:

Sinusitis, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)

You're coughing and sneezing and tired and achy. You think that you might be getting a cold. Later, when the medicines you've been taking to relieve the symptoms of the common cold are not working and you've now got a terrible headache, you finally drag yourself to the doctor. After listening to your history of symptoms, examining your face and forehead, and perhaps doing a sinus X-ray, the doctor says you have sinusitis. (Source: excerpt from Sinusitis, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

Sinusitis, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)

The location of your sinus pain depends on which sinus is affected.

  • Headache when you wake up in the morning is typical of a sinus problem.
  • Pain when your forehead over the frontal sinuses is touched may indicate that your frontal sinuses are inflammed.
  • Infection in the maxillary sinuses can cause your upper jaw and teeth to ache and your cheeks to become tender to the touch.
  • Since the ethmoid sinuses are near the tear ducts in the corner of the eyes, inflammation of these cavities often causes swelling of the eyelids and tissues around your eyes, and pain between your eyes. Ethmoid inflammation also can cause tenderness when the sides of your nose are touched, a loss of smell, and a stuffy nose.
  • Although the sphenoid sinuses are less frequently affected, infection in this area can cause earaches, neck pain, and deep aching at the top of your head.
Most people with sinusitis, however, have pain or tenderness in several locations, and their symptoms usually do not clearly indicate which sinuses are inflamed.

Other symptoms of sinusitis can include
  • Fever
  • Weakness
  • Tiredness
  • A cough that may be more severe at night
  • Runny nose (rhinitis) or nasal congestion
In addition, the drainage of mucus from the sphenoids or other sinuses down the back of your throat (postnasal drip) can cause you to have a sore throat. Mucus drainage also can irritate the membranes lining your larynx (upper windpipe). Not everyone with these symptoms, however, has sinusitis.

On rare occasions, acute sinusitis can result in brain infection and other serious complications. (Source: excerpt from Sinusitis, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

Sinusitis as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Sinusitis, it is also important to consider Sinusitis as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Sinusitis may cause:

- (Source - Diseases Database)

Sinusitis as a symptom:

For a more detailed analysis of Sinusitis as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Sinusitis.

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Sinusitis:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Sinusitis. This signs and symptoms information for Sinusitis has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Sinusitis signs or Sinusitis symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Sinusitis may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Sinusitis symptoms.

 

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