The best-selling author says confusing sinus pain with migraine can delay treatment and worsen attacks
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, July 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — As allergy season brings congestion and facial pressure to millions of Americans, many mistake migraine symptoms for seasonal allergies. According to neurologist, best-selling author of the popular book Headaches: Why You Have Them What You Can Do About Them, Dr. Egilius Spierings, this misunderstanding can delay proper diagnosis and treatment. According to research, Migraine affects approximately 40 million Americans and more than 1 billion people worldwide, yet remains widely misunderstood and undertreated.
“Migraine is a totally different story. It is a genetically determined and inherited vulnerability to intense headaches,” says Dr. Spierings. “In the presence of other conditions, medical or psychiatric, migraine headaches tend to occur more frequently and may be more difficult to deal with. This is the case whether we are dealing with insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, neck or jaw muscle tightness, nausea, reflux, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome or, relevant here, allergies, whether perennial or seasonal.”
One of the biggest misconceptions, Dr. Spierings says, is that facial pressure and pain automatically indicate a sinus headache.
“Sinus headache, also referred to as sinus-vacuum headache or barosinusitis, is a low-grade pain generally located in the center of the face, in the nose-cheek area. Hence, it is commonly more face pain than headache, and we should really refer to it as sinus face pain,” he explains.
Seasonal allergies can contribute to this type of facial pain by causing nasal congestion and blocking the passages between the nose and sinuses, creating pressure changes. Dr. Spierings notes that sinus problems can also increase sensitivity to weather changes.
“Nasal congestion can occur from a great number of causes, including seasonal and perennial allergies,” says Dr. Spierings. “However, it can also occur from crying, second-hand cigarette smoke, or strong odors, even when pleasant. Closed-off sinuses also make a person vulnerable to headache from weather changes, particularly the decrease in barometric pressure that occurs with oncoming rain or snow.”
For people living with migraine, what begins as sinus-related facial pain or another type of headache can quickly become a more debilitating neurological attack.
“Migraineurs get headaches from the same causes as everyone else. In addition, if they get another type of headache like a tension or sinus headache, it will quickly develop into a migraine headache,” says Dr. Spierings. “This is where terms like tension-migraine or sinus-migraine originate from. However, they are migraine headaches and should be treated as such.”
The distinction matters because many people may repeatedly treat congestion and sinus symptoms while the underlying migraine remains unrecognized. Dr. Spierings says identifying migraine early can help patients receive more effective care and improve their overall quality of life.
“It is important that these conditions, when present, are effectively treated, which will ultimately benefit the migraine as well as the migraineur,” says Dr. Spierings.
As allergy season continues, Dr. Spierings hopes greater awareness will help people recognize when recurring headaches may be more than seasonal allergies. Understanding the difference between sinus facial pain and migraine can lead to earlier diagnosis, more effective treatment, and improved quality of life for those living with chronic headache disorders.
About Dr. Egilius Spierings
Dr. Egilius Spierings is a neurologist, internationally recognized headache and facial pain specialist, and best-selling author whose career has focused on the diagnosis and treatment of migraine and other headache disorders. Through his clinical practice, research, and writing, he educates patients and healthcare professionals on evidence-based approaches to headache medicine and improving quality of life.
To learn more, click here: https://www.help4headache.com/
Dr. Egilius Spierings is available for interviews.
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