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Definition

By Mayo Clinic staff

Acute sinusitis (acute rhinosinusitis) causes the cavities around your nasal passages (sinuses) to become inflamed and swollen. This interferes with drainage and causes mucus to build up.

With acute sinusitis, it may be difficult to breathe through your nose. The area around your eyes and face may feel swollen, and you may have throbbing facial pain or a headache.

Acute sinusitis is most often caused by the common cold. Other triggers include allergies, bacterial and fungal infections. Treatment of acute sinusitis depends on the cause. In most cases, home remedies are all that's needed. However, persistent sinusitis can lead to serious infections and other complications. Sinusitis that lasts more than eight weeks or keeps coming back is called chronic sinusitis.

Symptoms
References
  1. Sinuses|Sinusitius|Rhinosinusitis. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions-a-to-z-search/sinuses,-sinusitis,-rhinosinusitis.aspx. Accessed March 25, 2013.
  2. Lalwani AK. Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. 3rd ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/resourceTOC.aspx?resourceID=39. Accessed March 25, 2013.
  3. Fact sheet: 20 questions about your sinuses. American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/sinuses.cfm. Accessed March 31, 2013.
  4. Aring AM, et al. Acute rhinosinusitis in adults. American Family Physician. 2011;83:1057.
  5. Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM): Prevention & control. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/prevention.html. Accessed March 24, 2013.
  6. Meltzer EO, et al. Rhiosinusitis diagnosis and management for the clinician: A synopsis of recent consensus guidelines. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2011;86:427.
  7. Hayward G, et al. Intranasal corticosteroids in management of acute sinusitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Family Medicine. 2012;10:241.
  8. Leung RS, et al. The diagnosis and management of acute and chronic sinusitis. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. 2008;35:11.
  9. Sinupret+. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed April 1, 2013.
  10. SinuGuard. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed April 1, 2013.
DS00170 July 2, 2013

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