Sinus Fungal Disease

Sinus fungal disease or allergic fungal sinusitis occurs when a fungus to which you have a sensitivity or allergy enters your airways. As a result, the cavities behind your nose and within your cheeks--known as your sinuses--become inflamed.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of sinus fungal disease include difficulty breathing through your nose, a stuffy head, thick green muscus, post-nasal drip or mucus running along the back of your throat and headaches, reports Aspergillosis Patient Support. Small, non-cancerous growths called polyps often form in your nose.

Features

• Sinus fungal disease occurs most often in adolescents and young adults, explains Cedars Sinai Medical Center. The condition is most common in warm, humid climates.

Diagnosis

• To differentiate the symptoms of sinus fungal disease from other types of sinus infections, doctors order blood tests to check for antibodies, which show an allergy to fungus. A CT scan provides an image of the sinuses for diagnosis.

Treatment

• To treat sinus fungal disease, doctors often perform surgery to remove any fungal debris from your sinuses, explains Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Prescription corticosteroid medications relieve inflammation in your sinus cavities.

Complications

• In some patients, sinus fungal disease recurs repeatedly, requiring additional surgeries. Rarely, holes form in the bones of the sinus cavity, allowing the fungus to enter a patient's eyes, according to the Aspergillosis Support Network.