But fungal sinusitis generally does not affect people with healthy immune systems. There are numerous causes of sinus blockage and inflammation, which can make sinus infections more likely. While acute sinusitis often involves an infection, chronic sinusitis does not. Sometimes, the long-term illness is caused by an infection that hasn't cleared up properly, but most often the exact cause of chronic sinusitis isn't known.
But clinicians may categorize chronic sinusitis into one of three types depending on the features present. The most common type of the illness, chronic sinusitis without nasal polyposis , involves swelling and inflammation of the mucous membranes by various non-polyp factors, such as allergies or irritation from airborne allergens and toxins and infections.
Chronic sinusitis with nasal polyposis , on the other hand, involves nasal polyps that are large enough to clog the sinus.
In chronic sinusitis with fungal allergy , people experience a strong allergic reaction to fungi in the air, which causes their mucous membranes to produce a thick, dense mucus. Whatever the type, several factors can increase a person's risk of developing chronic sinusitis or make the symptoms worse, including:. To diagnose if you have a sinus infection, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and their timeframe, and give you a physical exam.
This exam may include looking in the nose for signs of polyps, conducting a transillumination test shining a light against the sinuses to identify inflammation, and tapping the sinus area to detect infections.
If you have a chronic sinus infection , your doctor may conduct additional tests, including:. If you have a serious fungal sinus infection, your doctor may order a bone biopsy to see if the infection has penetrated your bones. A visit to the doctor is often not required. And since sinus infections are usually related to colds that is, viruses , antibiotics will not help. On the other hand, a secondary acute bacterial infection may develop, so it's advised that you see a doctor if your symptoms last more than 10 days or if your symptoms initially improve but then worsen again within the first 7 days.
Acute sinusitis causes inflammation and symptoms that often develop quickly and last 7 to 10 days if caused by a viral infection. But the illness can last for up to 4 weeks if it's caused by a bacterial infection.
Chronic sinusitis lasts for 12 weeks or more. This inflammation can continue for months or years more, and people often describe them as a never-ending cold. Various over-the-counter and prescription medications may help relieve sinus infection symptoms. These include:. Antibiotics may be a part of some sinus infection treatment regimes, but only if it is a bacterial sinus infection and not one caused by a virus or fungus.
Oral antihistamines may not improve symptoms and can cause side effects. They are not recommended for sinus infections. Some alternative and complementary therapies may help with sinus infection symptoms, such as:.
Quercetin, a natural antioxidant found in many foods, including onions, apples, green tea, and red wine. Chronic sinus infections typically have a more mysterious cause than acute infections — people with chronic sinus infections often require life-long treatment to keep symptoms at bay. Recent research suggests other treatment options may also exist for chronic sinus infections, including:.
A sinus infection is not exactly contagious. But depending on what caused a person's inflammation, other people may also develop the illness. For example, the common cold and flu are both contagious conditions that can lead to a sinus infection. Taking steps to reduce your risk of contracting viral infections can help prevent sinus infections. Sinus inflammation can spread to the bones and soft tissues of the face and eyes. This can cause:. Left intreated, sinus infections can also lead to serious intracranial complications, including blood clots within the cavernous sinus, pus between the skulls and dura mater cranial membrane , and meningitis.
Epidemiologic studies suggest 5 to 12 percent of people have chronic sinus infections. However, research published in December in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology suggests this may be an overestimation due to misdiagnosis. According to the study, which relied on imaging tests for diagnosis rather than symptomatology , about 3.
Colds, allergies, and sinus infections can cause similar symptoms, including stuffiness and headache. Your allergist may also send you to a specialist in allergy and immunology.
The specialist will check for underlying factors such as allergies, asthma, structural defects, or a weakness of the immune system. Biopsies: A danger of more serious types of fungal sinus infection is that the fungus could penetrate into nearby bone. Only a bone biopsy can determine if this has happened. Biopsies involving sinus tissue are taken with flexible instruments inserted through the nose.
Biopsies of the sinus tissue are also used to test for immotile cilia syndrome, a rare disorder that can cause people to suffer from recurrent infections, including chronic sinus infection, bronchitis and pneumonia. Antibiotics are standard treatments for bacterial sinus infections.
Antibiotics are usually taken from 3 to 28 days, depending on the type of antibiotic. Because the sinuses are deep-seated in the bones, and blood supply is limited, longer treatments may be prescribed for people with longer lasting or severe cases. Overuse and abuse of antibiotics have been causing a major increase in antibiotic resistance. Therefore, patients with sinus symptoms should consider taking an antibiotic only if symptoms including discolored nasal discharge persist beyond days.
Antibiotics help eliminate a sinus infection by attacking the bacteria that cause it, but until the drugs take effect, they do not do much to alleviate symptoms. Some over-the-counter medications can help provide relief. Topical nasal decongestants can be helpful if used for no more than three to four days.
These medications shrink swollen nasal passages, facilitating the flow of drainage from the sinuses. Overuse of topical nasal decongestants can result in a dependent condition in which the nasal passages swell shut, called rebound phenomenon.
Antihistamines block inflammation caused by an allergic reaction so they can help to fight symptoms of allergies that can lead to swollen nasal and sinus passages. Over-the-counter combination drugs should be used with caution. Some of these drugs contain drying agents that can thicken mucus. Only use them when prescribed by your allergist. These prescription nasal sprays prevent and reverse inflammation and swelling in the nasal passages and sinus openings, addressing the biggest problem associated with sinus infection.
Topical nasal corticosteroid sprays are also effective in shrinking and preventing the return of nasal polyps. If drug therapies have failed, surgery may be recommended as a last resort. It is usually performed by an otolaryngologist. Anatomical defects are the most common target of surgery. Your surgeon can fix defects in the bone separating the nasal passages, remove nasal polyps, and open up closed passages.
Sinus surgery is performed under either local or general anesthesia, and patients often can go home on the same day. Essentially yes, the definition of sinusitis is the same as sinus infection. Sinuses are normally air-filled pockets in the bone of the face. They are found in your forehead, at the bridge of your nose, way behind your eyes and at the apples of your cheeks. If these air pockets become blocked with fluid, germ like viruses or bacteria and sometimes fungus can multiply in these dark hard-to-reach spaces — and then you have an infection.
There are two major forms of sinus infections also called sinusitis : acute and chronic. Chronic sinus infections may drag on for months at a time. Both acute and chronic sinus infections can be viral or bacterial. Some long-standing infections are fungal. First you need to know the cause of the sinus infection. Chronic sinusitis can be brought on by an infection, by growths in the sinuses nasal polyps or by swelling of the lining of your sinuses.
Also called chronic rhinosinusitis, the condition can affect both adults and children. Chronic sinusitis and acute sinusitis have similar signs and symptoms. But acute sinusitis is a temporary infection of the sinuses often associated with a cold. The signs and symptoms of chronic sinusitis last at least 12 weeks, but you may have several episodes of acute sinusitis before developing chronic sinusitis. Fever isn't a common sign of chronic sinusitis, but you might have one with acute sinusitis.
See a doctor immediately if you have the following signs or symptoms, which could indicate a serious infection:. Nasal polyps are soft, noncancerous growths on the lining of your nose or sinuses.
They often occur in groups, like grapes on a stem. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda into the water. Wash your hands. Stand over a sink, cup the palm of 1 hand and pour a small amount of the solution into it.
Sniff the water into 1 nostril at a time. Breathe through your mouth and allow the water to pour back into the sink. Try not to let the water go down the back of your throat.
Repeat the first 5 steps up to 3 times a day until your nose feels more comfortable.
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