How can you help prevent a sinus infection?

The sinuses are air-filled spaces around the nose that drain through small openings. A cold or allergic swelling can narrow those passages, trapping mucus and making pressure and infection more likely. A blocked nose, facial pain or pressure, cough, fever and sometimes earache can occur with sinusitis, but these symptoms can also have other causes. Preventing every episode is not possible; the useful goal is to reduce nasal inflammation and recognise symptoms that are becoming persistent or severe.

Wash your hands regularly, avoid close contact with people who are unwell where practical, and avoid cigarette smoke and dusty air. If allergies trigger blockage, follow the treatment plan recommended for allergic rhinitis and reduce known exposures. During a cold, rest, drink to thirst and use a saline nasal rinse only with sterile, distilled or previously boiled and cooled water, using clean equipment. Do not share nasal sprays. A blocked nose can be uncomfortable, but antibiotics do not prevent or treat every episode; a clinician can advise when they are appropriate. Explore [Common Cold](/conditions/common-cold/) and [Allergic Rhinitis](/conditions/allergic-rhinitis/) for related causes.

Contact a clinician when symptoms are severe, keep worsening, return frequently or do not settle as expected. Seek urgent help for swelling around an eye, vision changes, confusion, a stiff neck, severe headache, or marked illness with fever. Facial pain and pressure, [Fever](/symptoms/fever/) or a persistent [Cough](/symptoms/cough/) can help describe what is happening, but do not diagnose the cause by themselves.

Could allergies or a structural nasal problem be contributing? Is a saline rinse or nasal medicine suitable for me? Which symptoms mean I should be examined for sinusitis?