Sinusitis can often be accompanied by rhinitis and facial and headaches. The headache can often be triggered by tapping over the affected paranasal sinus. It can develop after a normal rhinitis and can be accompanied by cough and fever.
Usually it is self-limiting and heals after about one week. If it lasts longer than 12 weeks, it is a chronic sinusitis. The sinusitis can be caused by viruses as well as bacteria.
However, viral sinusitis is much more common and therefore antibiotics should be used sparingly. Inflammations caused by viruses are accompanied by rather thin white secretions (rhinitis), bacterial inflammations are accompanied by yellow viscous purulent secretions. Changes in the nasal anatomy, such as a curvature of the nasal septum (nasal septum deviation) or an oversized nasal concha (hypertrophy) favour the development of sinusitis.
Complications due to sports
Patients with a mild cold or sinusitis often ask themselves whether they are allowed to do sports. In general, sports activities are made more difficult by the obstructed nasal breathing (due to the swelling of the mucous membranes and the colds/secretions) anyway, so that sports in this condition puts more strain on the body. In the case of sinusitis, sports activities are not recommended.
The patient should give the body sufficient rest and strength to fight the pathogens. Since the pathogens can in principle spread everywhere in an infection, even a normally harmless sinusitis can be dangerous. The problem with paranasal sinusitis is the subjective feeling of well-being, which is often only slightly impaired.
However, if you want to do something good for your body, you can take it easy even if you only have a slight cold. If the pathogens “spread” – i.e. they spread via the blood – they can cause great damage to other organs. The heart is particularly at risk here.
The pathogens can settle on the heart valves and cause damage to the heart valves with far-reaching consequences. This can ultimately make surgical therapy necessary. Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) can also occur.
The symptoms are high fever, fatigue, tiredness and a decline in performance. In any case, a very long sports break of months is then necessary, so that one should rather not take this risk and instead take it easy for 1-2 weeks in case of a sinusitis. Heart function can be severely impaired by these complications and may require rapid treatment in the clinic.
Otherwise there is a risk of long-term loss of heart function, which may even result in a heart transplant. These complications can even become life-threatening, but they occur very rarely. If the acute sinusitis does not heal, it can develop into a chronic form.
A further complication is the rupture of the sinus wall. If this is also inflamed and the pathogens reach the surrounding sinuses or organs, the infection spreads. It can also cause meningitis (inflammation of the meninges).
This manifests itself in headaches and neck pain, especially when bending the head. Eye involvement is also possible, which manifests itself in visual disturbances and redness, as well as pain in the eye. Inflammation of the middle ear can occur especially in children.
