Not all cases of sinusitis are caused by bacteria. Although very uncommon, there are cases of sinusitis whose culprit has been identified as a type of fungus that thrives in the moist and dark environment of the paranasal sinuses. Mostly, these cases are common among patients whose immune systems have been compromised or weakened by other underlying serious medical conditions. This does not suggest though that only patients with compromised immune system are at risk of falling victim to fungal sinusitis. Recent research suggests that fungal sinusitis is also becoming a common complaint among perfectly healthy people.

Fungal sinusitis can manifest in two ways – the invasive type and the non-invasive type.

Invasive Fungal Sinusitis

The more serious form of infection is commonly found among patients of diabetes and other individuals with weak immune system. Usually, the fungus that has infected them moves very rapidly, invading the infected tissues in a matter of weeks often causing progressive destruction to the site of infection. Such type exposes the patient to the risk of dying as a result of widespread fungal infection to the bony cavities housing the eyeballs. More severe cases of this type of sinusitis have infection that spreads to the brain. Once this happens, the damages to the brain tissues are irreversible. This could possibly end in death, unless appropriate surgical intervention is given to the patient.

There are two sub-types of invasive fungal sinusitis – first is the fulminant sinusitis which occurs most commonly among immuncompromised patients. Such patients have deficient immunologic mechanisms which may be the result of an immunodeficiency disorder or the effect of immunosuppressive agents, a type of medication that can render weakening of the immune system activities.

The other type of invasive fungal sinusitis is chronic indolent sinusitis, which unlike the fulminant type, is idiopathic, meaning that there is no identifiable immune deficiency disorder that may have caused it. This is less common in the United States than in countries like India and Sudan. In this form, the infection may progress for several months and even years without significant damage to infected tissues. Common symptoms include chronic headache, facial swelling and visual impairment caused by the swelling of infected tissues of the face.

Non Invasive Fungal Sinusitis

The other less troublesome type is the non-invasive form of fungal sinusitis. This is often initially diagnosed as chronic sinusitis due to the similarities in symptoms presented. There are two forms of non-invasive fungal sinusitis – mycetoma and allergic fungal sinusitis.

Mycetoma fungal sinusitis, otherwise referred to as fungal ball sinusitis, often infects the maxillary sinuses with clumps or pores. Thus, the name fungal ball. This is, perhaps, the mildest form of fungal sinus infection because it usually affects only one side of the sinus and triggers only the typical discomforts associated with chronic sinusitis. Surgical removal of infected sinuses is often not necessary. Most doctors only recommend the surgical scraping of the mold from the site of infection.

The second form of non-invasive fungal sinusitis is called allergic fungal sinusitis. As its name suggests, this type roots from fungi that the body treats sinister. This type is common among patients of allergic rhinitis.