What are the symptoms of acute sinusitis?

Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
Updated on June 08, 2025
00:00
00:00

The symptoms of acute sinusitis are quite varied, with the most common ones being nasal congestion, purulent nasal discharge, headache, and dizziness. In severe cases, it may also cause facial swelling and numbness, but individual differences exist. Some patients may exhibit one or two of these symptoms, while others may have various additional symptoms, considering them comprehensively. Generally, it is primarily due to acute bacterial infection, and the main treatment is antibiotics to fight the infection. In addition, consideration can be given to combining traditional Chinese medicine and mucolytic agents for adjunctive treatment. Persistently rinsing the nasal cavity with saline solution can also help in the recovery of the condition. Generally, the treatment period requires about one to two weeks and needs regular follow-up to monitor for any recurrence. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a physician.)

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
55sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of sinusitis?

The clinical symptoms of sinusitis vary widely among individuals, and in general, it is considered a common illness. The most frequent clinical manifestations include nasal congestion, purulent nasal discharge, reduced sense of smell, headaches, and dizziness. Some patients may also experience facial pain and numbness; however, specific symptoms vary from person to person. Some may exhibit only one symptom, while others may experience two to three, or even multiple symptoms, with the disease demonstrating recurrent and fluctuating patterns. In terms of treatment, medication remains the primary approach, supplemented by nasal irrigation. Only a small fraction of patients, whose symptoms do not improve with conservative medication treatments or who suffer from particularly severe inflammatory reactions like fungal sinusitis, may consider surgery.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Jun
Otolaryngology
1min 1sec home-news-image

Treatment of Chronic Rhinitis and Sinusitis

Chronic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis are due to persistent inflammation following acute inflammatory stimuli or recurrent attacks, leading to nasal and systemic symptoms. Patients may experience facial swelling and pain, headaches, and nasal congestion, generally bilateral and progressively worsening. Additionally, there may be yellow purulent discharge from the nasal cavity, sometimes accompanied by an odor. The examination can reveal congested and edematous bilateral nasal turbinates and abnormal secretions in the nasal cavity. For treatment, patients initially need a sinus CT scan; if sinusitis is confirmed, symptomatic anti-inflammatory treatment is necessary, including oral antibiotics, such as cephalosporins, which are relatively effective. Saline nasal irrigation is also required. If conservative treatment fails, the patient may need endoscopic sinus surgery and partial resection of the bilateral inferior turbinates to recover.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
52sec home-news-image

How to treat sinusitis

The treatment of sinusitis is mainly divided into two categories. The first category is conservative treatment, and the second is surgical treatment. Conservative treatment is primarily used for acute sinusitis or for chronic sinusitis when the inflammatory response is not particularly severe. Overall, most patients can effectively control inflammation, improve their condition, and relieve symptoms with conservative treatments such as oral medications, nasal sprays, and saline nasal irrigation. However, some patients have a more severe inflammatory response and do not respond well to conservative treatment, or they might have fungal sinusitis. In these cases, surgery is generally considered necessary, mainly involving minimally invasive endoscopic sinus surgery, which has proven to be quite effective and causes minimal damage.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Jun
Otolaryngology
1min 19sec home-news-image

What medicine is good for sinusitis?

Sinusitis is mainly caused by acute inflammatory infections, such as Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes. When a patient's immunity and resistance are low, these bacteria can invade the sinuses through the sinus openings, leading to congestion, swelling, proliferation, and exudation of the sinus mucosa. Patients will experience persistent nasal congestion and discharge of yellow purulent secretions from the nasal cavity. Additionally, patients may also experience fever, facial swelling and pain, headaches, dry mouth, coughing, and other related symptoms. Upon examination, bilateral nasal turbinate mucosal congestion and swelling can be found, and yellow secretions may be seen adhering in the middle nasal meatus or common nasal passage. In terms of treatment, as it is a bacterial infection, patients firstly need symptomatic anti-inflammatory treatment. Oral cephalosporin antibiotics are effective. Moreover, using saline to rinse the nasal cavity also provides very good results. If necessary, patients may require endoscopic sinus surgery for recovery. (Please use medication under the guidance of a professional physician.)

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
58sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of acute sinusitis?

The symptoms of acute sinusitis are quite varied, with the most common ones being nasal congestion, purulent nasal discharge, headache, and dizziness. In severe cases, it may also cause facial swelling and numbness, but individual differences exist. Some patients may exhibit one or two of these symptoms, while others may have various additional symptoms, considering them comprehensively. Generally, it is primarily due to acute bacterial infection, and the main treatment is antibiotics to fight the infection. In addition, consideration can be given to combining traditional Chinese medicine and mucolytic agents for adjunctive treatment. Persistently rinsing the nasal cavity with saline solution can also help in the recovery of the condition. Generally, the treatment period requires about one to two weeks and needs regular follow-up to monitor for any recurrence. (The use of medications should be under the guidance of a physician.)