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Medical Author:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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In this Article

• Sinus headache facts
• What are the sinuses?
• What is a sinus headache?
• What causes a sinus headache?
• What are the symptoms of a sinus headache?
• When should I seek medical care for a sinus headache?
• How is a sinus headache diagnosed?
• What is the treatment and remedies for a sinus headache?
• What are the complications of a sinus headache?
• Can a sinus headache be prevented?
• What is the outlook (prognosis) for a sinus headache?
• Patient Comments: Sinus Headache - Complications
• Patient Comments: Sinus Headache - Symptoms
• Patient Comments: Sinus Headache - Experience
• Patient Comments: Sinus Headache - Remedies
• Find a local Ear, Nose, & Throat Doctor in your town
• Sinus Headache Index

If the ducts that connect the sinuses to the back of the nose become inflamed, the ability of the sinuses to drain normally is decreased, and pressure builds up within the blocked sinus. There may also be associated swelling and inflammation of the lining of the sinuses, resulting in increased mucus and fluid secretion. This increase in fluid and pressure causes the pain of a sinus headache. The term sinusitis is used to describe inflammation of the sinus (sinus + itis = inflammation).

While a sinus inflammation (sinusitis) can be due to a viral infection much like a cold that causes swelling in the nose and decreases the ability of the sinuses to drain, an allergic reaction such as hay fever may also begin the process of inflammation. Like inflammation anywhere else in the body, there is swelling and increased fluid production. In the sinuses, this decreases the ability of the sinuses to drain and the increased inflammatory fluid production (just like the weeping observed with a skin injury) combines to cause the pain and pressure of a sinus headache.

Nature does not like stagnant fluid, and after a period of time bacteria and viruses can travel from the nasal cavities into the fluid and cause an infection. Less commonly, fungal infections may cause a sinus infection, and even more rarely, tumors can invade the sinus.

The maxillary sinus sits underneath the eye within the cheekbone. The upper teeth attach to the lower portion of this bone, and dental infections can travel up the root of the tooth and infect the sinus directly.