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's opinion before using any of the over-the-counter drugs available in the market. Even though pain killers and decongestants may provide some relief, severe sinus infections need a more professional treatment with antibiotics and even steroids. Mostly, severe sinus infections may occur because of some other reason like asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergies to fungi, primary immune deficiency, HIV infection, cystic fibrosis, and so on. In such cases, treatment should be provided for treating these infections first.

Some most common treatments for severe sinus infections are saline nasal rinses, topical/oral decongestants, antihistamines, mucolytic agents, and intranasal corticosteroids. Severe sinus infections that cannot be cured by medication call for surgery. Functional endoscopic sinus surgery is a common surgery for enlarging the sinus openings and allowing drainage.