As we all know, there are four major pairs of paranasal sinuses. And infection to the sphenoid sinus pair (located in upper part of nose, behind the ethmoid bone) is called sphenoid sinusitis. It is less common as compared to other types of sinusitis. Hence, it is often considered as a neglected condition. Nevertheless, the symptoms and complications are no less than other sinus infections. Hence, timely diagnosis and proper treatment are essential for managing the infection symptoms. Causes The infection may be acute, sub-acute, and chronic, depending on the length of the disease condition. Infection lasting for less than 1 month is acute, sub-acute infection lasts for 1-3 months, and chronic infection is present for more than 3 months. The predominant organisms that cause the acute condition are Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae among other gram positive strains. Whereas, both gram negative and gram positive bacteria are responsible for the chronic type. Also, fungal and viral infections contribute to long-term infection, especially amongst people who have a weakened immune system. Symptoms As per medical data, this condition accounts to about 3 percent of the total sinus infection cases. In such a case, only the sphenoid sinuses may be involved or there are also chances of infection in other paranasal sinuses. Similar to any sinusitis bouts, common inflammatory responses are manifested in this infection. The most notable sign of this medical problem is a dull and nagging pain in the occipital area. Mild sinus pain is often present at the crown of head, and at the back side of nose and eyes. The worst part with this infection is that the nondescript headache remains for an extended time. Some patients even report sharp progressive pain in the upper head portion. Other symptoms are earaches, cough, blurry vision, and neck pain. Intensity of sinus headache is exacerbated with changing position, bending, and while performing physical activities. In nearly all people with this sinusitis, fever and runny nose are absent, which are prevalent in a typical sinus condition. Thus, patients face difficulty in self diagnosis of this medical problem. Diagnosis and Treatment Diagnosis is very difficult mainly because of the deep location of sphenoid sinus. People having this sinus problem seek medical advice only when the symptoms worsen or complications arise. This is also the reason why the incidence of the chronic type is more than that of acute. In order to identify this medical condition, the doctor will examine the physical signs and conduct CT (computed tomography) scan of the paranasal sinuses. After confirmation, appropriate sinus infection treatment is suggested for the patient. The first therapeutic approach is proceeded with medications. Antibiotics for sinus infection are recommended. The patient should complete the full course. Quitting the medicine in between or not taking the full course increases the risk of recurrent sinusitis. Along with oral antibacterial medicine, antihistamines and pain relievers may also be prescribed for alleviating the allergy and pain symptoms. For unresponsive cases, surgery is recommended as the last resort for treatment. No doubt, treating this condition is not so easy, as the sinus cavities are located deeply. But, impressive results are expected with timely addressing of the problem. In order to prevent recurring sinus infections, self-care instructions and precautionary measures should be followed by the patient. Avoiding exposure to triggering factors, like environmental pollutants and household allergenic factors will surely help in minimizing the risk of sphenoid sinus infections. Disclaimer: This Buzzle article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.