Why Do We Get Sinus Infections?

Sinus infections affect millions of people in the United States each year, many of whom miss work or school. If you're experiencing nasal congestion, headaches, drainage down the back of your throat (postnasal drip), puffy eyes, fatigue, sore throat, and facial pain, you're likely a statistic.

It makes sense to find out what's causing your sinus infection, how it developed, and what you can do about it. Read on to get the answers you need.

How Do Sinus Infections Occur?

Your sinuses are a connected system of hollow air spaces inside your skull. They sit around your nose, cheeks, and forehead, and each one is named after the bone that houses it. The sinuses produce mucus, a stringy, slippery substance that keeps your nasal passages moist and acts as a protective barrier against dust, pathogens, and pollutants in the air you inhale.

A sinus infection starts when a pathogen, usually a virus but sometimes bacteria or fungi, inflames the tissues lining your sinuses. Those tissues thicken, drainage backs up, and mucus collects. Mucus buildup makes the sinuses conducive to pathogen growth.

Viruses, especially those that cause the common cold, are the usual culprits in sinus infections. Only up to two percent of sinus infections are caused by bacteria, and these are often a complication of viral sinus infection. Fungal sinus infections are rare, and typically affect people who are immunocompromised.

Diagnosing Sinus Infections

Seeing your doctor remains the single best way to determine whether your symptoms are those of a sinus infection, find its cause, and receive appropriate treatment.

To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor reviews your symptoms and looks inside your sinuses with a nasal endoscope, checking for a deviated septum, polyps, or growths. Imaging may follow to show how deep the inflammation runs.

Acute and subacute sinus infections need no further testing. Most are viral and clear within seven to ten days on their own, unless a bacterial infection sets in.

Chronic or severe infections usually mean a referral to an ear, nose, and throat doctor. An ENT can take a sinus culture to identify exactly what is causing it, bacterial or fungal.

Treatment for Sinus Infections

The type of treatment you will receive will depend on what type of sinus infection you have and how long you've had it.

If you have a bacterial sinus infection, your ENT doctor will likely prescribe antibiotics, which you will have to take for seven to ten days.

Nasal allergies in themselves cause sinus irritation, which can put you at a greater risk of developing an infection. If you have nasal allergies, your ENT specialist will likely give you nasal sprays to soothe the irritation. However, if you have severe inflammation, you may need to take oral steroids, possibly along with oral decongestants.

If your sinus infection doesn't respond to conservative interventions or is complicated by nasal polyps or structural problems, your ENT doctor may recommend surgery, possibly balloon sinuplasty, a revolutionary, minimally invasive alternative to traditional sinus surgery. This type of endoscopic nasal surgery has been touted by experts for effectively addressing chronic or recurrent sinusitis.