is generally considered harmless, although it causes great discomfort
and is often very painful. When the episode becomes severe, antibiotics
generally eliminate further problems.
In rare cases bacterial
sinusitis can be very serious.
Adolescent males with acute frontal sinusitis are at particular
risk for severe problems. One important complication is infection
of the bones or Osteomyelitis of the forehead. The patient usually
experiences headache, fever, and a soft swelling over the bone known
as Pott's puffy tumor.
Infection of the
Infection of the eye socket, or orbital infection, which causes
swelling and subsequent drooping of the eyelid, is a rare but serious
complication of ethmoid sinusitis.
The patient loses movement
in the eye, and pressure on the optic nerve can lead to vision loss,
which could sometimes be permanent. Fever and severe illness are
Resulting from ethmoid or frontal sinusitis, a blood clot forms
in the sinus area around the front and top of the face. The symptoms
are similar to orbital infection.
The pupil may be fixed
and dilated. Though the symptoms usually begin on one side of the
head, the process usually spreads to both sides.
A study has found a link between ischemic stroke and sinusitis.
The spread of infection by anaerobic bacteria to the brain, either
through the bones or blood vessels. It is a dangerous complication
of sinusitis, particularly frontal and sphenoid sinusitis.
and other life-threatening conditions may result. In such cases,
the patient may experience mild personality changes, headache, altered
consciousness, visual problems, and, finally, seizures, coma, and