Infectious Diseases A-Z: Bacterial sinusitis

Having a cold can feel bad enough with the all coughing, sneezing, and running noses without it developing into something more uncomfortable. Sometimes it can lead to swelling around the sinus, causing a bacterial infection in the sinuses. "A small percentage of people who have a cold virus can go on to develop bacterial sinusitis," says Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Mayo Clinic.