What is the difference between rhinitis and sinusitis?

Rhinitis and sinusitis are often confused by many people, but in fact there are differences between the two, and the symptoms are also different. The harm and impact of rhinitis are relatively widespread, while sinusitis mainly harms the eye sockets, brain tissue and some nearby organs.

1. Different symptoms

The symptoms of chronic rhinitis are nasal congestion or alternating poor ventilation of the two nostrils and mucous nasal discharge. Chronic sinusitis is characterized by frequent white nasal discharge, yellow purulent nasal discharge after a cold, and decreased sense of smell. As mentioned above, the onset of rhinitis and sinusitis is closely related, but the clinical manifestations are different and the examination findings are also different.

2. Different hazards

Sinusitis mainly harms the eye sockets, brain tissues and other "neighbors". When it does not heal repeatedly, the inflammation will spread beyond the sinus bone wall and spread to the surrounding tissues, which may cause some very serious complications. It can be roughly divided into four categories: intraorbital complications, intracranial complications, osteomyelitis, and descending infection of the lesion.

The impact of rhinitis is more widespread. If it recurs over a long period of time, the inflammation will spread to adjacent organs and tissues, and may cause complications such as frontal bone osteomyelitis, orbital bone wall osteomyelitis and periostitis, orbital wall subperiosteal abscess, orbital cellulitis, retrobulbar optic neuritis, epidural abscess, subdural abscess, purulent meningitis, brain abscess, cavernous sinus thrombosis and other critical emergencies.

3. Rhinitis and sinusitis should be treated differently, but the same level of importance should be attached to them. Neither should be taken lightly and must be treated as soon as possible once discovered.