Medical Questions » Nose and Sinuses Questions » Question No. 740
| Question: | What are the sinuses that everyone complains about when they get a runny nose? |
| Answer: | Below, above, between and even behind your eyes, your skull bone is riddled with cave-like spaces called sinuses. All these sinuses are connected together by small holes and tubes, making a complex interconnecting system. Lining this network is a moist membrane, the same as that inside your nostrils. The whole system is thus kept constantly moist, and this moisture slowly flows out of the drain holes in the sinuses, into the back of your nose and throat. This system is designed to keep the sinuses clean, as any dust or other small particles that may enter them is washed out.
Some people secrete excess amounts of fluid in the sinuses, while others may have drainage holes and tubes that are too small to cope with the secretions produced. If bacteria or viruses enter the sinuses, sinusitis may result. The phlegm produced is no longer watery, but thick and pus-like, and it is very easy in this situation for the drain holes to become blocked, and the sinuses become very painful and tender.
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