Headache signals a dangerous disease that can cause blindness and brain damage.

(Dan Tri) - After a long period of headaches that did not improve with medication, the woman was diagnosed with fungal sphenoid sinusitis, a dangerous disease with vague symptoms and a silent progression.

On October 20, Dr. Ngo Duc Minh Huy, Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, People's Hospital 115 (HCMC) said that the unit had just received and successfully treated a 67-year-old female patient diagnosed with sphenoid sinusitis caused by fungus.

The patient came to the clinic with a headache that had lasted for several months and a runny nose with a foul odor. Previously, the patient had been examined and treated at several medical facilities but his condition did not improve after stopping the medication.

At the hospital, from the initial examination results, doctors suspected the patient had fungal sinusitis.

The CT scan and subsequent paraclinical results also determined that the patient had left sphenoid sinusitis caused by fungus with an infection. In addition, she was also noted to have many underlying diseases such as high blood pressure, stage III chronic kidney disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Image of left sphenoid sinus mass (red arrow) (Photo: Hospital).

Immediately after that, the patient was treated by a multidisciplinary team to stabilize his initial health. When the condition allowed, the doctors of the ENT department performed endoscopic surgery to open the sphenoid sinus, clean out the fungal tissue, necrosis, and inflammation in the patient's sinus, and take samples of suspected fungal specimens to send for testing.

After surgery, the patient continued to be monitored and treated at the ENT department. By the time of discharge, the patient no longer had headaches and runny nose.

Sharing about this case, Dr. Minh Huy emphasized that fungal sphenoid sinusitis is a silent disease, easily overlooked and can easily cause dangerous complications, especially in the elderly with many underlying diseases.

Sphenoid sinusitis is a non-invasive fungal infection, commonly found in the group of fungal sinusitis, occurring in middle-aged and elderly people, especially in women.

The disease originates from a fungal mass, usually caused by long-term growth of filamentous fungi, forming a dense “ball” of dark brown or grayish-blue color in the sphenoid sinus. This is located deep in the nasal cavity, adjacent to many important structures such as the base of the skull, the optic nerve, the pituitary gland, and the internal carotid artery.

"It is worth noting that the disease progresses silently, with atypical symptoms that can be easily confused with common chronic sinusitis. Therefore, many cases are only discovered when the disease has lasted for a long time, even with dangerous complications," Dr. Huy shared.

Clinical symptoms of sphenoid sinusitis are often vague and nonspecific, such as dull headache in the parietal or retro-orbital region. The pain radiates to the forehead or temples, is often prolonged, and painkillers are ineffective.

Patients often have signs of nasal congestion or nasal discharge, which may have a foul odor. Some cases may have transient vision loss or blurred vision due to the fungus compressing the optic nerve.

Because the sphenoid sinus is located close to many important structures, if the fungal mass is not detected and treated promptly, it can lead to serious complications such as optic nerve damage causing sudden vision loss, even irreversible blindness; periorbital cellulitis or orbital abscess; meningitis, brain abscess due to widespread infection.

"This is a non-invasive form of the fungus but can still have serious consequences if diagnosis is delayed. Therefore, vigilance and early detection are key factors in treatment," Dr. Nham Tan Dat, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, advised.

Therefore, people should absolutely not be subjective with prolonged headaches, headaches in the occipital region, behind the eyes or in the middle of the forehead, and pain that does not improve with medication.

"People should also see a doctor early if they have any unusual signs of vision such as blurred vision, double vision or transient vision loss. This could be a warning sign of optic nerve damage due to compression of the fungal mass," the doctor warned.

People should also regularly clean their sinuses with saline solution, avoid polluted environments, dust and smoke, and not use long-term medication without a doctor's prescription.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/con-dau-dau-bao-hieu-can-benh-nguy-hiem-co-the-gay-mu-mat-ton-thuong-nao-20251021000428147.htm