Sinusitis symptoms lasting less than 10 days are most consistently which?

• A. Bacterial sinusitis
• B. Allergic sinusitis
• C. Chronic sinusitis
• D. Viral sinusitis

Answer: (D)

Short duration of sinusitis symptoms points to a viral infection because acute viral rhinosinusitis is usually self-limited and resolves within about a week to ten days. Bacterial sinusitis tends to linger longer than ten days or worsen after initial improvement, making a bacterial cause more likely when symptoms persist beyond that window. Allergic sinusitis is driven by allergen exposure and often presents with itchy eyes, sneezing, and pattern changes (seasonal or chronic) rather than a brief illness. Chronic sinusitis involves symptoms lasting many weeks to months and reflects ongoing inflammation rather than an acute, self-limited process. So when symptoms are under ten days, the most consistent etiology is a viral infection.