Symptoms of Frontal Sinusitis

Frontal sinusitis is a medical condition that is generally characterized by pain and pressure near the frontal sinuses, which are located just behind the eyes, and the inflammation and swelling up of the nasal passages of the individual. This inflammation thus leads to the accumulation of the mucus in the passages, causing difficulties in breathing for the person suffering from the condition. If frontal sinusitis is left treated for a long period of time, it can even lead to meningitis, which is a life-threatening condition characterized by inflammation of the meninges covering the brain.

Most Common Symptom of Frontal Sinusitis

Pain is the most common symptom that is associated with frontal sinusitis. The patient suffering from this medical condition generally experiences pain and swelling around the eyes and nose. This pain generally worsens on bending forward and while sleeping. However, the exact reason for this worsening of pain is still not clearly known despite repeated studies over the years by scientists.

Difficulty in Breathing

Difficulty in breathing is another common symptom that is often associated with frontal sinusitis. Due to the inflammation and blocking of the nasal passages caused due to frontal sinusitis, the patient often faces difficulties in breathing properly through the nose. Apart from this, the patient also develops runny nose, which is characterized with the discharge of thick yellowish- or greenish-colored mucus.

Other Common Symptoms of Frontal Sinusitis

Other common symptoms that are generally associated with sinusitis include earache, high fever which worsens at nights, severe cough and pain in the teeth and the upper jaw, among others.

In certain severe cases the individual might also suffer from symptoms such as reduced sense of taste and smell, sore throat and bad breath -- also known as halitosis, among others.

Causes of Frontal Sinusitis

The most common causes or factors leading to the development of frontal sinusitis in individuals include viral, bacterial and fungal infections. However, viruses are the most common cause among the three. The infection caused by these three causative organisms leads to the inflammation of the nasal passages in the individual, leading to the narrowing and constricting of the passages of proper airflow, thus possibly resulting in frontal sinusitis.

Other common causes leading to frontal sinusitis include air pollution, smoke, overuse of nasal decongestants, and certain airborne diseases such as hay fever.

Prevention/Solution

There are number of preventive measures that one can take to prevent developing frontal sinusitis. Some of the most common preventive measures include using nasal decongestants as prescribed by the physician and thus avoiding its overuse, quitting smoking and even avoiding secondhand smoke as much as possible, and keeping away from people infected with respiratory infections as most of the respiratory infections are contagious in nature.