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main symptom of sinusitis is a throbbing pain and pressure
in the face, which is worse bending forwards.
* Frontal sinusitis can cause pain above
your eyebrows, and your forehead may be tender to touch.
* Maxillary sinusitis can cause your upper
jaw, teeth and cheeks to ache and may be mistaken for toothache.
* Inflammation of the ethmoid sinuses can
cause pain around and between your eyes and the sides of your
nose.
* Inflammation of the sphenoid sinus can
cause you to ache behind your eyes, at the top of your head
or in your temples. You may also have earache and neck pain.
Sinusitis has its own localized pain signals,
depending upon the particular sinus affected. Headache upon
awakening in the morning is characteristic of sinus involvement.
Pain when the forehead over the frontal sinuses
is touched may indicate inflammation of the frontal sinuses.
Infection in the maxillary sinuses can cause the upper jaw
and teeth to ache and the 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 the eyes, and pain between
the eyes.
Ethmoid inflammation also can cause tenderness
when the sides of the 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 the head.
However, most patients with sinusitis have
pain or tenderness in several locations, and symptoms usually
do not clearly define which sinuses are inflamed.
Other symptoms of sinusitis can include fever,
weakness, tiredness, a cough that may be more severe at night,
and runny nose or nasal congestion. In addition, drainage
of mucus from the sphenoids (or other sinuses) down the back
of the throat (postnasal drip) can cause a sore throat and
can irritate the membranes lining the larynx (upper windpipe).
On rare occasions, acute sinusitis can result in brain infection
and serious complications.
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