What happens when chronic sinusitis or sinus infections go untreated?

Doctor's Answers 2

Sinuses are air-filled hollow cavities around the nasal cavity. The lining of the sinuses produces mucus which drains into the nasal cavity. When the sinuses are blocked and not draining, the trapped mucus becomes infected, resulting in sinusitis. The medical term sinusitis refers to inflammation or infection of sinusitis. Common symptoms include:

  • Nasal blockage
  • Coloured or thick nose mucus or phlegm
  • Facial pain
  • Decreased or loss of sense of smell
  • Postnasal drip (mucus flowing down from the nose to the throat region)
  • Cough

Sinusitis is acute when it is less than 3 months and chronic when the duration of symptoms is more than 3 months. Majority of sinusitis cases are treatable with medications (usually antibiotics, saline rinse and nasal steroid sprays). It is important to have sinusitis treated because untreated sinusitis can lead to:

  • Poor quality of life - Based on studies, the pain suffered by patients with chronic sinusitis can be similar to those suffering from major cancer and arthritis. The debilitating symptoms can also affect the ability to work, reduce productivity and affect sleep.
  • Worsening of Asthma and other lung conditions - As the nose and sinuses are the gateways to the lungs, unhealthy sinuses can cause inflammatory changes to the lungs, resulting in certain lung conditions such as Asthma and Bronchitis.
  • Complications - The sinuses are close to the eyes and brain. Although rare, an untreated sinus infection can lead to infections spreading to these organs, resulting in severe eye or brain infections.

If you have been suffering from prolonged symptoms of sinusitis, I would highly recommend that you consult an ENT Specialist for an assessment and treatment.

Sinusitis is basically an infection of the sinus cavities. There are 4 sets of sinuses:

  • Maxillary
  • Ethmoid
  • Frontal
  • Sphenoid

These cavities are air-filled cavities which are connected to the nose by small openings or Ostia.

When the openings swell up; the mucous then collects. If the openings are blocked frequently, these sinuses get infected. Think of this like a 6-lane highway that leads into a city which suddenly becomes a one-way street. This may be manifested in:

  • pressure symptoms,
  • headaches,
  • pain(cheek, teeth),
  • postnasal drip,
  • blocked nose,
  • coughing,
  • thick coloured mucus
  • etc.

Infections lasting 3 months or longer are defined as chronic sinusitis. The main issue with chronic sinusitis is that your body is constantly fighting an infection; this stresses your immune system and may cause chronic cough, tiredness, fatigue etc.

We strongly advise treatment of chronic sinusitis- this need not be surgery as often we can treat this with culture-directed antibiotics, decongestants, nasal steroids and nasal douche.

Occasionally if the infection is persistent, not treated properly and the sinus blocks off completely; this may result in serious complications in nearby structures such as the skin, eye, bone and the brain.

Similar Questions

How can I prevent frequent sinus infections?

I am sorry to hear that you are experiencing sinus infection (medically known as sinusitis) every 1-2 months. It is important to determine if the "sinus infections" are indeed sinusitis. Common symptoms of a sinus infection includes: Blocked nose Facial congestion or pain Coloured nasal discharge/mucous (yellow, brown, green or even blood stained) Postnasal drip Reduced sense of smell A sinus infection usually last longer than 10 days or continues to worsen on day 5 of your illness.

Photo of Dr Eng Cern Gan

Answered By

Dr Eng Cern Gan

ENT Doctor

What should I do next if I still have green phlegm and cough after completing my course of antibiotics?

If you have a sinus infection and bronchitis that has not gone away with antibiotics, you can see an ENT Specialist for an assessment and likely a nasoendoscopy (scope through the nose done in the clinic under local anaesthesia). If there is still infected mucous (mucopus) seen in your nose, a sample of the mucopus has to be taken and sent to the lab for analysis (bacterial culture). This is to determine the type of bacteria responsible for your sinus infection and the antibiotics that will be effective against that bacteria.

Photo of Dr Eng Cern Gan

Answered By

Dr Eng Cern Gan

ENT Doctor

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