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Sinusitis means your sinuses are inflamed. It's usually caused by an allergic reaction or an infection in your sinuses that stops them from working properly.

Sinuses are small spaces filled with air inside your skull. You have them in your cheek bones, behind and between your eyes, and in your forehead. They make mucus, which normally drains through small openings into the nose.

You can have sinusitis that lasts a long time (called chronic sinusitis) or you may get short attacks. Short attacks that last for four weeks or less are called acute sinusitis. Here we look at treatments for acute sinusitis, which is the more common type.

You often get sinusitis after you've had a viral infection such as a cold or flu.¹ Hay fever and other allergies can also cause sinusitis.¹ Sometimes a tooth abscess can cause sinusitis.

If your sinusitis lasts longer than a week, you may have a bacterial infection.²

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.