Sinusitis is an infection of the sinus cavity. The symptoms of this are very similar to having a strong head cold including stuffy nose and pressure above the cheekbones. Sometimes, you might have fever and chills. Even though sinusitis is not usually deadly or cause for concern, it can be very painful and annoying if it becomes chronic.
The true definition of the chronic sinusitis as opposed to when the sinusitis case lasts for a long time is that the sinus problems last for at least four weeks. Sinusitis can be cause by bacteria or a virus. If a nurse has a client who has chronic sinusitis and is complaining of a headache and cough, then the nurse may detect tenderness in their sinuses of the frontal and maxillary sinuses.
Frontal and maxillary sinuses.-rationale: after detecting tenderness of the paranasal sinuses, the nurse should transilluminate both the frontal and maxillary sinuses; lack of illumination may indicate sinus congestion and pus accumulation. the sphenoidal and ethmoidal sinuses cant be transilluminated because of their location. client needs category: physiological integrity client needs subcategory: physiological adaptation cognitive level: application reference: bickley, l.s. bates guide to physical examination and history taking,9th ed. philadelphia: lippincott williams & wilkins, 2007, p. 202.
