Patients who do not respond to drugs may be helped by surgery on the trigeminal nerve. In a condition called acute sinusitis, a viral or bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract spreads to the membrane which lines the sinus cavities. When one or all four of these cavities are filled with bacterial or viral fluid, they become inflamed, causing pain and sometimes headache. Treatment of acute sinusitis includes antibiotics, analgesics, and decongestants. Chronic sinusitis may be caused by an allergy to such irritants as dust, ragweed, animal hair, and smoke.
Research scientists disagree about whether chronic sinusitis triggers headache.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of The National Institutes of Health. All rights reserved.