Someone suffering from respiratory allergies, or allergic rhinitis, is at higher risk of developing sinus pain and inflammation. If you are this person, you have learned to link the release of pollen, pet dander or dust to your allergies. If you do not treat your allergies before they become significant, your sinuses become inflamed, leading to a possible sinus infection. When you know the causes of your symptoms, you can treat them before you get sick.
Sinus Pain
Sinus headaches begin after your sinuses become inflamed. The pain of a sinus headache is throbbing and dull, centering on your forehead and in your cheekbones immediately below your eyes. Lying down in a prone position, bending over and damp, cold weather make the throbbing worse. After you have been up for several hours, the pain goes away since you have been upright. Unless you are able to link your symptoms to allergies, this kind of headache may not be easy for your doctor to diagnose -- a sinus headache resembles both the migraine and tension headache, states the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Allergy-Causing Substances and Their Links
Allergies, also called allergic rhinitis, can cause sinus headaches and sinusitis -- an inflammation of the sinus cavities. An attack of sinusitis can be caused by the flu, a cold or allergies. When your sinuses are healthy, mucus drains normally; after inflammation develops, the sinuses swell, blocking the accumulated mucus from draining. If an attack of sinusitis is not treated promptly, bacteria, fungus and viruses grow, leading to infection, writes the University of Maryland Medical Center.
You may be allergic to cigarette smoke, pet dander, various pollens or dust. You may be born with these sensitivities or they may develop as you get older. If you have an extended allergy attack, you can develop sinusitis.
Symptoms
Some common allergy symptoms include pressure and pain in your forehead, cheekbones and behind your eyes. Your nasal passages are swollen and congested and your face is swollen and tender to the touch, especially around your eyes and cheekbones. Your sinus headaches begin just after you get over a cold. When you blow your nose or cough, the mucus is discolored and thick rather than being clear and watery. You have persistent post-nasal drip and a sore throat along with a feeling of fatigue and mild fever.
Risks From Allergies
You are at higher risk of developing sinusitis when you have allergies because your sinuses swell and become inflamed. When your sinus cavities cannot drain, you develop a sinus infection -- also called secondary bacterial sinusitis, states the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology.
If your allergy symptoms are not controlled with medications, you can develop chronic sinusitis, with symptoms lasting three months or more. The structure of your nasal passages may contribute to the development of sinus problems. For instance, if you have a deviated nasal septum or narrow drainage passages inside your nose, your sinuses cannot drain normally, setting up the environment for a sinus infection.
Sinusitis Diagnosis
When you visit your doctor with a complaint of facial pain, nasal congestion and allergies, he refers you to an allergist, who discusses your medical history with you. The allergist carries out a physical exam, which may include CT scans of your sinuses, allergy testing and testing of your nasal secretions.
The allergist may decide to examine your nasal cavity with an endoscope so he can observe how your sinuses drain. This test is carried out under local anesthesia.
Treatments
The most reliable treatment for allergies and sinusitis is avoidance of the substances that trigger these conditions. If you cannot avoid every substance, using a saline nasal spray may help relieve congestion, as can over-the-counter decongestants, prescription corticosteroid nasal sprays -- these take time to take effect -- allergy shots and OTC painkillers.
If medications are not effective, an allergist may elect to treat your symptoms with a balloon sinuplasty, which widens the openings in your sinuses. Sinus surgery, performed with an endoscope, may also be a treatment option. The surgeon uses the endoscope to view the inside of your nasal passages so he can remove anything causing blockage.
