Sinus infections are illnesses that affect the sinuses. Also known as sinusitis, this infection causes severe inflammation to the sinuses, which are hollow cavities in the bones around the nose. When a person suffers from fungal or viral infections like hay fever, rhinitis, etc. these sinuses become inflamed. Air and mucus may get blocked inside these inflamed sinuses, causing severe pain and discomfort. Sometimes, there could be a vacuum inside the sinuses. The main symptoms of severe sinus infections are pain in the head, ear, or neck; headaches early in the morning; pain in the upper jaw, cheeks, and teeth; swelling of the eyelids; pain between the eyes; stuffy nose; loss of smell; and tenderness near the nose. Sometimes, there could be fever, tiredness, weakness, severe cough, and runny nose. Very rarely, acute sinusitis can lead to infection in the brain or some other complication.

Sinus infections are basically of thee kinds: acute (up to three weeks), chronic (three to eight weeks or more) and recurring (frequent attacks within a year). Sinus infections may also be classified on the basis of the kind of sinus: frontal sinuses (over the eyes in the brow area), maxillary sinuses (inside each cheekbone), ethmoid sinuses (just behind the bridge of the nose and between the eyes), and sphenoid sinuses (behind the ethmoids in the upper region of the nose and behind the eyes).

Even though everyone gets a sinus attack one time or the other, acute and chronic sinus attacks, which are of the more severe kind, should be treated early. It is better to take a specialist