Best Sinusitis Doctor in Dubai – Dr. Muhammad Jabbr

Sinusitis is not one single illness. A short flare after a cold behaves very differently from attacks that return every few months, or from fungus sitting quietly in one sinus. So when you see a sinusitis doctor in Dubai, the first real question is which type you have. The answer guides every step after that.

Dr. Muhammad Jabbr is a Consultant ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon at Medcare Hospital Al Safa, Dubai. He has more than 20 years of experience, sees adults and children, and is among the best doctors in Dubai for sinus problems.

Below, each type is explained simply: how it behaves, and how it is confirmed and treated.

Why does the type of sinusitis matter?

Your sinuses are hollow spaces behind your cheeks, forehead and eyes. They drain into the nose through small openings. If the lining swells, these can close. Mucus is then trapped, and pressure and infection can build up.

Doctors group sinusitis mainly by how long it lasts, how often it returns and what causes it. The main groups are:

• Acute sinusitis – lasts less than 4 weeks.
• Subacute sinusitis – lasts between 4 and 12 weeks.
• Recurrent acute sinusitis – several separate attacks a year, with full recovery in between.
• Chronic sinusitis – symptoms on most days for 12 weeks or more.
• Fungal sinusitis – caused by fungi, with its own sub-types.

Your type shapes the plan: home care, medicine, a scan or a procedure.

Acute sinusitis: the sudden, short kind

Acute sinusitis usually follows a cold. Typical signs are a blocked nose, thick coloured mucus, and pressure in the cheeks or forehead. Smell may drop. Some people have aching upper teeth or a mild fever.

Most cases are viral and start to improve within about 10 days. Only a few become bacterial. That is more likely if symptoms last beyond 10 days without improving, or if you feel better and then suddenly worse.

Diagnosis rests on your symptoms and a look inside the nose. A scan is rarely needed. Care may include salt-water rinses, a steroid nasal spray, pain relief and rest. If bacteria are the likely cause, antibiotics may be added. See our acute sinusitis treatment page for more.

Subacute sinusitis: when it lingers for weeks

Subacute sinusitis sits between acute and chronic. It feels like an acute attack that drags on.

Sometimes an infection is simply slow to settle. In other cases, something keeps feeding the problem. Possible factors include allergy, a deviated septum, swollen turbinates (ridges inside the nose) or an infected upper back tooth.

By now, an ENT check makes sense. In a nasal endoscopy, the doctor passes a slim camera into your nose during the clinic visit. It can show pus, swelling or polyps. Treatment may include medicines matched to the likely cause, rinses, a steroid spray and care for the factor behind it.

Recurrent acute sinusitis: when it keeps coming back

Some people recover fully, then get another attack weeks later. Four or more separate attacks a year, with no symptoms in between, is called recurrent acute sinusitis.

Repeated attacks usually have a reason. The sinus openings may be narrow by nature. Allergy may keep the lining swollen. Less often, the immune system is weaker than it should be.

To look for the reason, your ENT doctor may suggest:

• A nasal endoscopy, ideally during an attack, to confirm the infection.
• A sinus CT scan, often done when you are well, to show the drainage pathways.
• Allergy tests if allergy seems likely, and sometimes blood tests of the immune system.

Treatment depends on what is found. Many people do well with allergy control and daily nasal care. If the openings are very narrow and attacks continue despite proper medical treatment, a procedure to widen them may be discussed.

Fungal sinusitis: less common, but important to recognise

Fungal spores float in the air we all breathe, and most people never have a problem with them. In a few, fungi cause sinus disease in one of three main forms.

Fungal ball

A clump of fungus collects in one sinus, most often the cheek (maxillary) sinus. It may cause one-sided blockage, a bad smell or discharge, or no symptoms. Antifungal medicines are not usually needed. The fungal ball is removed by endoscopic surgery through the nostril.

Allergic fungal sinusitis

Here, the body overreacts to fungi. This leads to thick, sticky mucus and nasal polyps, often in younger adults with allergies. Treatment usually combines endoscopic sinus surgery to clear the sinuses with steroid medicines and long-term follow-up, because it can come back.

Invasive fungal sinusitis

This is rare but serious. The fungus grows into the tissues around the sinus. It mostly affects people with poorly controlled diabetes, chemotherapy patients and others with weak immunity. Warning signs include facial swelling or numbness, black patches inside the nose or on the roof of the mouth, and eye problems. It needs emergency hospital care, usually urgent surgery, antifungal medicines and control of the underlying condition.

For more on these forms, see our fungal sinusitis treatment page.

Where does chronic sinusitis fit in?

When symptoms last 12 weeks or more, it is chronic sinusitis, with or without nasal polyps. It needs a longer-term plan. If this sounds like you, read about chronic sinusitis care in Dubai.

How does a sinusitis doctor in Dubai tell the types apart?

Simple questions give most of the answer. Dr. Jabbr looks at these clues:

• How long it has lasted. Under 4 weeks, 4 to 12 weeks, or longer.
• The pattern. One long illness, or separate attacks with clear gaps.
• One side or both. A bad smell, discharge or bleeding from one side always needs a closer look. It can point to a fungal ball, a dental cause or, less often, a growth.
• Your teeth. Recent dental work or pain in an upper back tooth.
• Your health. Diabetes, long-term steroids or treatment that lowers immunity.

Then your nose, ears and throat are examined. A nasal endoscopy may be done in the same visit, after a numbing spray. A CT scan is arranged only when it will change the plan, such as for one-sided or long-lasting problems, suspected fungal disease or before a procedure. If pus is seen, a sample may go to the lab to guide the choice of medicine.

Your sinus care with Dr. Muhammad Jabbr

Dr. Jabbr holds MD, MS, DOHNS (England), the European Board ORL-HNS and the Arab Board ORL-HNS. His experience includes more than 3,000 ENT procedures.

His approach is to name your type of sinusitis, find what drives it, and treat that. Rinses, sprays and medicines usually come first. A procedure is suggested only if it offers a real benefit. For his wider work, visit the nose and sinus specialist page.

Which sinus symptoms need emergency care?

Rarely, infection spreads beyond the sinus, towards the eye or the brain. Get emergency hospital care without delay for:

• Swelling or redness around one or both eyes.
• Double vision, blurred or reduced vision, or an eye that hurts more on movement.
• Confusion, a stiff neck or a very bad headache.
• Numbness or black patches on the face, in the nose or in the mouth, especially with diabetes or weak immunity.
• A high fever with swelling of the forehead or face.

Book an appointment

If your sinus symptoms drag on, keep coming back or affect one side only, an ENT review can help. Book your visit with Dr. Muhammad Jabbr online at Medcare Hospital Al Safa, Hadiqa Street, Al Safa 1, Dubai. Prefer to talk first? Call +971 52 751 7811.

Sinusitis Treatment in Dubai: What Each Type Needs

Sinusitis treatment works best when it matches your type. Care for acute sinusitis may include salt-water rinses, a steroid nasal spray, pain relief and rest, with antibiotics added if bacteria are the likely cause. Subacute sinusitis also needs care for whatever keeps it going, such as allergy, a deviated septum, swollen turbinates or an infected upper back tooth.

Recurrent attacks are treated by finding the reason, often with allergy control and daily nasal care; a procedure to widen narrow sinus openings is discussed only if attacks continue despite proper medical treatment. A fungal ball is removed by endoscopic surgery through the nostril, and allergic fungal sinusitis combines endoscopic sinus surgery with steroid medicines and long-term follow-up.

Dr. Muhammad Jabbr, Consultant ENT at Medcare Hospital Al Safa, Dubai, names your type first and then builds the plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Each type of sinusitis needs its own plan. Knowing whether yours is acute, subacute, recurrent or fungal helps you get the right care sooner. If your symptoms linger, return or seem unusual, a careful assessment with Dr. Muhammad Jabbr can show what is going on and which treatment suits you.