Para-nasal sinuses are the spaces filled with air operating in conjunction with the nasal cavities and are located in the facial areas as well as parts of the skull. There are four main para-nasal sinus cavities which could become inflamed, causing the pan sinusitis condition. Typically, when someone gets a sinus infection, maybe one or two sinus cavities are affected instead of all of them like with pan sinusitis.
An In-Depth Look at Pan Sinusitis
To understand why pan sinusitis may be more serious, you have to understand where all of those para-nasal sinuses are located. There are four basic groups of these para-nasal sinuses: frontal, ethmoid, maxillary and sphenoid. With the frontal sinuses, these are typically over the eyes behind the forehead. The maxillary sinuses are located under the eyes and behind the cheek bones.
The ethmoid sinuses encompass a very small area between the nose and eyes and are located in the ethmoid bone. The sphenoid sinuses are housed within the sphenoid bone which is located in the middle of the base of the skull and right under the pituitary gland. As these four main locations encompass quite a bit of the head, having an infection in all of these areas can account for why pan sinusitis can be miserable for you if you are suffering from it.
Symptoms and Treatment
With pan sinusitis, you will likely experience quite a few symptoms such as, fatigue, headache, sinus pressure and pain, bad breath, fever, toothaches, tenderness in the facial areas, loss of smell, sore throat due to post nasal drip and even coughing. While taking over the counter pain reliever of decongestants may help ease some symptoms, prescription medications such as antibiotics or anti-fungal treatments are necessary.
In uncommon cases, abnormalities in the sinus cavity structures or even the presence of polyps or tumors could be causing pan sinusitis. In these instances, surgery is needed to remove these obstructions. A CT scan is the only way usually to identify if growths or other abnormalities are the cause of your sinus problems.
Speak with your doctor and talk with them about your diagnosis of pan sinusitis and what it means for you in terms of treatment. Only with all the facts such as causes and surgical recovery time can you make the best educated decision on your treatment options.
To Your Health,
Michael Toscano & Brue Baker
Owners / Founders