Sinus Headache

Sinus headaches consist of brief periods of pain, often excruciating in, in one part of the head. They occur in a characteristic pattern, usually between one and four times a day and there may be gaps of months or years between each group of headaches. However, a small number of people have chronic sinus headaches that occur at regular intervals with very few remission periods between attacks. Like migraines cluster headaches are likely to be related to an increase in blood flow as a result of widening of the blood vessels in the brain. Cluster headaches affect about 1 million people in the US, 9 in 10 of whom are men, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohols increase the risk.

What are the symptoms?

Sinus headaches often develop early in the morning. The major symptoms, which appear suddenly and affect one side of the head or face, include: severe pain around one eye or temple, watering and redness of the eye, drooping of the eyelid, stuffiness in the nostril and, sometimes, a runny nose on one side, flushing of one side of the face.

Individual episodes of pain may last from a few minutes to 3 hours. The average attack lasts 15-30 minutes. If you have a sudden, severe headache for the first time or if you have a sudden, severe headache for the first time or if you have symptoms that are different from those of previous headaches, you should consult your doctor at once so that a more serious underlying cause can be excluded.

What might be done?

Your doctor may prescribe an antimigraine drug, which will help reduce the length of a cluster attack and decrease the severity of the headaches. Antimigrine drugs should be taken as soon as possible after the headache starts. If these drugs do not help, lithium (Mood stabilizing drugs) is sometimes effective.

In the sinus is prolonged, a short course of corticosteroids may help prevent the headache from recurring. These drugs should be gradually reduced in dose, as advised by your doctor, as the headaches disappear.

If you have sinus headaches, you should not smoke cigarettes or drink even small amount of alcohol because both increase the risk of an attack. Sinus headaches may continue for the rest of your life. But you may have prolonged periods of remission.

The treatment depends on the cause of the headache, for example, tension headaches will usually clear up with rest and analgesics. Sinus headaches and migraine headaches can be treated with specific drugs, such as sumatriptan.