When a person has a stuffy nose that just won't get better, they might have a sinus infection, commonly known as sinusitis. According to the video, there are some air-filled spaces around the nose, these hollow spaces are known as sinuses and are eight in total. Sinuses are situated on either side of the nose, in the cheeks as well as behind and between the eyes, in the forehead, and behind the nasal cavity.
Sinuses are covered by a thin layer of tissue known as the mucous membrane. The purpose of this membrane is to produce mucus and moisten the air people breathe. The mucus produced helps eliminate dust and germs from the air breathed in. The mucus membrane has small hairs on the surface, typically known as cilia which help clear mucus from the sinuses.
When normal operation of the sinuses is interrupted, it causes inflammation. Most of the time, foreign agents like viruses and bacteria damage these small hairs called cilia preventing the elimination of mucus from the sinuses.
Foreign agents also cause inflammation of the mucous membrane by blocking the small opening from the sinuses into the nose. Once this small opening is blocked, mucus is trapped in the sinuses. Mucus accumulation in the sinuses is a perfect breeding ground for foreign agents like bacteria and viruses, which cause sinusitis.
