What Is a Sinus Infection?

Sinuses are air-filled cavities behind your eyebrows, behind your cheekbones, and between your eyes. They are lined with a mucous membrane that filters and humidifies the air you inhale.

Acute Sinus Infections

• Viruses associated with the common cold. This is the most common cause of a sinus infection and may be contagious.
• Bacterial infection, which can come after a viral infection. This infection is not contagious but may be the cause of a longer-term sinus issue.
• Fungal infection, which has more severe symptoms. This is the rarest type of sinus infection and is most prevalent among people with a weakened immune system.

Chronic Sinusitis

Also called chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic sinusitis involves inflammation that lasts at least 12 weeks. This swelling may be the result of an acute sinus infection, allergies, or irritation.

• Congestion
• Facial pain and pressure
• Postnasal drip (when mucus drips down the back of the throat)
• Runny nose with thick nasal discharge

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• Bad breath (halitosis)
• Headache
• Cough
• Sore throat
• Reduced sense of smell

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• Fever

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• Fatigue

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• Allergies
• A cold
• Nasal polyps or other nasal growths
• Deviated nasal septum, a bending of the wall between the two nostrils
• Weakened immune system
• Smoking
• Certain medications

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• Asthma

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• Allergy tests to determine what allergens may be triggering your chronic or recurrent infections
• A computed tomography scan to identify sinus abnormalities, such as polyps or a deviated septum
• Magnetic resonance imaging to see if you have a nasal tumor or fungal infection
• A biopsy, if your doctor suspects another health condition is the cause, or in the rare case the infection has spread

Should You Call the Doctor?

• Last more than 10 days
• Get worse after improving
• Are accompanied by a fever

• A high fever
• Pain, redness, or swelling around your eyes
• Changes in vision, including double vision
• Confusion
• A stiff neck

• Drinking lots of fluids and getting plenty of rest
• Flushing out the sinuses with a saline nasal wash or spray
• Inhaling steam several times a day
• Using a humidifier
• Resting a warmed, moist washcloth or a warm compress over your nose and forehead

Medication Options

• Nonprescription pain medications, including acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
• Corticosteroid nasal spray
• Nasal decongestants, such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed)
• Medications to thin secretions to help clear mucus

Antibiotics may be a part of some sinus infection treatments, but only if you have a bacterial sinus infection.

Chronic Sinusitis Treatment

Chronic sinusitis may require longer-term treatment for symptoms.

• Surgery to reopen sinuses if you have nasal polyps or a deviated septum
• Balloon sinuplasty, in which a balloon is inserted in your sinus cavities to open them
• Mucus-thinning medication such as guaifenesin (Mucinex)

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• The medication dupilumab (Dupixent), which may treat chronic sinusitis with nasal polyps or allergic fungal sinus infections

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• A combination of oral and intranasal corticosteroid irrigations

Complementary and Integrative Therapies

In some cases, complementary therapies may help ease symptoms of sinus infections. These may include:

• Supplements such as the enzyme bromelain, found in pineapples

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• Quercetin, a natural antioxidant found in many foods, including onions, apples, green tea, and red wine

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• Root of pelargonium sidoides, or South African geranium

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• Some herbal medications, such as eucalyptol (cineole) and spike lavender oil

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• Mind-body practices such as yoga, which may support overall well-being but have little evidence supporting their treatment of sinus infections

Talk to your doctor before starting any supplements, and ask about the efficacy of complementary therapies for your situation.

Although a sinus infection itself is not contagious, the common cold or flu that often leads to a sinus infection is.

• Practicing good hygiene, such as by washing your hands often and covering your mouth when you cough and sneeze
• Getting recommended vaccinations, such as the flu vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine
• Keeping your distance from people who have upper respiratory infections
• Avoiding smoking and secondhand smoke
• Using a humidifier

• Sleeping with your head elevated
• Moistening the air at home with a humidifier and avoiding dry environments
• Inhaling steam or using a saline nasal spray regularly
• Drinking lots of water
• Treating allergies
• Irrigating your nasal passages regularly

An acute sinus infection usually lasts less than four weeks and may resolve without medical attention. It can recur, however.

• Cellulitis of the face or around the eyes
• Abscesses around the eyes
• Blindness
• Blood clots in the cavernous sinus
• Epidural or subdural empyema, or pus-filled infections
• Meningitis

• A sinus infection occurs when the mucous membranes inside your sinus become inflamed and trap microbes, leading to a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection.
• A cold is the most common cause of a sinus infection, which may result from allergies, the flu, or other conditions, including a weakened immune system.
• You can treat most sinus infections at home with steam, nasal sprays, and over-the-counter medications.
• If you have symptoms for more than 10 days, call the doctor; sinus infections can be chronic and require additional treatment, including surgery.