This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Aetiology

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Common causes of rhinosinusitis include:

  • viral infection
  • allergic and non-allergic rhinitis
  • anatomical variations
    • abnormality of the osteomeatal complex
    • septal deviation
    • concha bullosa
    • hypertrophic middle turbinates
  • cigarette smoking
  • diabetes mellitus
  • swimming, diving, high altitude climbing
  • dental infections and procedures

Rare causes include:

  • cystic fibrosis
  • neoplasia
  • mechanical ventilation
  • use of nasal tubes, such as nasogastric feeding tubes
  • Samter's triad (aspirin sensitivity, rhinitis, asthma)
  • sarcoidosis
  • Wegener's granulomatosis
  • immune deficiency
  • sinus surgery
  • immotile cilia syndrome (1)

Sinusitis is generally triggered by a viral upper respiratory tract infection, with only 2% of cases being complicated by bacterial sinusitis (1)

Reference:

  1. Ah-See KW, Evans AS. Sinusitis and its management. BMJ : British Medical Journal. 2007;334(7589):358-361.

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.