Symptoms and Complications
Sinusitis has symptoms very different from a cold or the flu. The main symptoms are pain, congestion, and a frontal headache. The location of the pain depends on which sinus or sinuses are affected.
Infection of the lower (maxillary) sinuses causes toothache in the upper jaw and pain in the area under the eyes, while infection of the upper (frontal) sinuses causes pain in the temple. Infection of the small sinuses between the eyes (the ethmoid sinuses) causes pain between and behind the eyes.
Yellow or green pus may drain out of the nose, and there may be an unpleasant smell. Someone with sinusitis may feel generally unwell, but there shouldn't be a fever if the infection is confined to the sinuses.
Acute sinusitis usually lasts about 2 weeks. In a few people, however, the infection can go on for a few months. When symptoms last more than 90 days, the condition is termed chronic sinusitis.
Serious complications of sinusitis can sometimes occur, including abscesses and meningitis (infection of the membranes surrounding the central nervous system).