Test Your Knowledge

Acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis share many symptoms. One typical symptom shared by both forms is a sinus headache, a nonvascular headache caused by pressure changes in sinus cavities. Trapped air, pus and other secretions create pressure on the sinus wall. Pain, pressure or fullness is usually present in the cheeks, brow or forehead.

Other symptoms of sinusitis include:

• Aching in the upper jaw or teeth
• Cold symptoms that last more than a week
• Ear pain
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Cough
• Nasal congestion
• Profuse, thick, colored (especially green) nasal discharge
• Bad breath
• Bad-tasting postnasal drip
• Headache when leaning forward
• Reduced sense of smell
• Sore throat (resulting from postnasal drip)

Although people with sinusitis typically have pain or tenderness in several locations, certain symptoms may indicate which of the sinuses are affected. These include:

• Facial pain. Pain when the forehead is touched indicates inflammation of the frontal sinuses (located in the forehead).
  
  
• Achiness of the upper jaw and teeth, and tenderness in the cheeks when touched. This indicates infection in the maxillary sinuses (located behind the cheekbones).
  
  
• Pain between the eyes, swelling of the eyelids and tissues around the eyes. This indicates inflammation of the ethmoid sinuses (located between the eyes), which may also cause tenderness when the nose is touched and loss of smell.
  
  
• Earaches, neck pain and a deep ache at the top of the head indicate infection of the sphenoid sinuses (located behind the eyes).

Where symptoms of acute and chronic sinusitis differ include:

• Duration of symptoms. Acute sinusitis tends to occur during a period of a month or less, while chronic sinusitis can stretch on for months and tends to recur.
  
  
• Severity of symptoms. Symptoms tend to be more pronounced in acute sinusitis and more subtle in chronic sinusitis.
  
  
• Fever. Acute sinusitis is often accompanied by low-grade fever, but this is rarely the case in chronic sinusitis.

Patients should seek prompt medical attention if they have sinusitis and experience any of the following symptoms (which may indicate complications have developed):

• Fever greater than 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius)
  
  
• Pain, swelling or redness on the face or around the eyes
  
  
• Severe headache
  
  
• Confusion
  
  
• Stiff neck