Q: I am 18 years old. For the past two years, I have been experiencing great pressure on my face, especially around the sinuses.

It starts from the bridge of my nose and slowly spreads to the cheeks, eyebrows and sides of my temples. It gets worse when I bend down. A CT scan found my sinuses to be only a little congested.

Recently, my ears feel hot and turn red frequently. Could there possibly be something wrong with my blood vessels?

A: Your symptoms are common and are often due to obstruction of the sinuses. There are many sinuses in the nose/facial areas. The sinuses are normally air filled but they have very small openings. These openings enter the nose passage. When the openings are blocked by swelling of the lining (due perhaps to allergic reaction, inflammation, infection or, rarely, tumours), the symptoms of blockage occur. I do not think blood vessels are the cause.

It is good to have your sinuses checked and perhaps allergy-tested by an ENT surgeon.

Dr Luke Tan

This article was first published in The Straits Times.