How to recognize and treat sinusitis?

Doctor Jimmy Mohamed, health consultant from Europe 1, summarizes what you need to know about this painful infection, often linked to a common untreated cold.

It is an infection that we often hear about, especially in winter, without always knowing exactly how to differentiate it from the common cold, to protect yourself from it… or to treat it.

Doctor Jimmy Mohamed, health consultant from Europe 1, answers three common questions about sinusitis, whether chronic or occasional. 

>> Find all of

Sans rendez-vous

in replay and podcast here

How to recognize sinusitis?

It is an infection of the sinuses, the cavities that we have in the face.

We all have four pairs: the maxillary sinuses, at the cheekbones, the frontal sinuses, at the forehead, the ethmoid sinuses, above the nose and the sphenoid sinuses, behind the eyes.

When a small infection becomes a little more serious and affects one of these cavities, it is called sinusitis. 

The most common symptoms are fever, a stuffy nose and an unbearable headache, especially when leaning forward, increasing the pressure in the sinuses. 

What is this due to? 

In the vast majority of cases, sinusitis begins with a common nasopharyngitis, a cold that is not always treated.

The secretions will then accumulate in the cavities, causing a bacterial superinfection. 

It is quite rare in young children, since all sinuses do not appear from birth - at the age of 4-5 years only for the frontal and maxillae. 

>> READ ALSO

- How to distinguish the common cold from Covid-19? 

How can we heal ourselves? 

It is useful to consult, because there are effective treatments.

In the very short term, you can already clean your congested nose with physiological serum or a specialized enema bulb, on sale online or in pharmacies. 

Then, we can seek to cure rhinitis, the fact of having a constantly runny nose, and which causes sinusitis.

This could be due to an allergy, reflux or polyps in the nose for example. 

What about a potential sinus operation, for patients who suffer from these recurrent secondary infections?

It works in some cases, but not all: some patients notice a recurrence a few months, or even a few years later.