Types Of Sinus Infection
A sinus infection can appear in four different ways. Each way is based on the timeframe of the infection and how persistent it is. The four types of sinus infection are:
- Acute sinusitis comes on suddenly and lasts less than four weeks.
- Subacute sinusitis comes on like acute sinusitis but resolves within 12 weeks.
- Chronic sinusitis happens when your symptoms persist longer than 12 weeks.
- Recurrent acute sinusitis is when you have four or more acute sinus infections lasting seven days each, in a one-year span.
If your sinus infection lasts for long periods of time without any relief, even with the use of over-the-counter medicine, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor.
Is It A Cold Or Sinus Infection How To Tell
Even though were in the middle of summer, here at Westchester Health we still see a fair amount of colds and sinus infections . Patients come in sneezing and coughing with watery eyes and a stuffy nose, and want to know: is it a cold or a sinus infection? Our answer: the type of symptoms and long they last give us clues as to whether its a virus or an infection.
Is It The Flu Or A Sinus Infection
by Todd C. Morehouse, D.O. | Dec 18, 2018 | General
The fall and winter months are prime times during the year for flu and sinus infections. Five to twenty percent of the US population gets the flu virus each year while 30 million Americans get sinus infections. The problem is that both diseases have similar symptoms which makes it difficult to discern between them, especially in the early stages.
Flu SymptomsFever, body aches and fatigue are symptoms typically experienced with the flu.
- Headache
- Sore throat & dry, irritating cough
- Body aches
- Fever greater than 102 degrees F
- Chills/sweats
- Flushed color in your face
- Nausea/vomiting
Facial pain, nasal congestion and postnasal drip are seen with most sinus infections.
- Headache
Is It the Flu or a Sinus Infection? Quick Answers.Have a fever?The flu causes temperature spikes. Its rare to have a fever with a sinus infection. If you do, the temperature is usually low grade.
Have pain?With a sinus infection, aches are more focused in the facial region. With the flu, muscle aches spread throughout the body.
Have a cough?A cough is possible with the flu and a sinus infection.
Have a sinus congestion or a runny nose?Mucus is the key. Yellowish-greenish mucus typically indicates a sinus infection.
Felt sick for a while?A sinus infection can last for weeks. The flu comes on strong but usually only takes a week to resolve itself. You feel more fatigued with the flu.
How to Treat the Flu
What to Do If You Have a Sinus Infection
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A Note From Cleveland Clinic
Upper respiratory infections are common. Anyone can get an upper respiratory infection, though they happen more frequently among children. Upper respiratory infection symptoms include coughing, runny nose, sneezing and throat pain. You may also get a fever. These infections usually go away on their own. You can use pain relievers to feel better. Make sure to drink plenty of fluids and get rest. If you are concerned about your symptoms, or they dont go away after two weeks, contact your healthcare provider.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 05/25/2021.
References
Preventing A Sinus Infection
To prevent sinus infections altogether, borrow strategies from your cold-prevention playbook. Most notably, practicing hand hygiene is the easiest way to prevent a sinus infection, Iloreta says. Sinus infections come from chronic allergies, or chronic inflammation in the nose, so by treating your allergies taking antihistamines, avoiding pollen exposure youll also help prevent subsequent sinus infections.
Kimberly Goad is a New Yorkbased journalist who has covered health for some of the nations top consumer publications. Her work has appeared in Womens Health, Mens Health and Readers Digest.
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Pain And Pressure Around Face
Many people think that our sinuses are located just in the nose. The truth is that these sacs cover much more space around our nasal area from the lower forehead down to the front of the cheekbones.
Due to the fact that they cover a great part of the face, you might feel discomfort all over this location. As mucus builds up in the nasal passages, it might press on your nerves. As an outcome, you might feel inflammation, pressure, or heaviness in your face. Bending over usually makes the pressure increase. Sometimes, this pressure or pain can even interfere with sleep.
Wondering Whether Youve Got A Cold Or Sinus Infection Come See Us
If youre feeling lousy and think you have either a cold or sinus infection, please call 232-1919 to make an appointment with one of our Westchester Health Internal Medicine physicians. He/she will examine you, make a diagnosis and start treatment right away so you can soon start to feel better. Whenever, wherever you need us, were here for you.
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Can A Sinus Infection Go Into Your Chest
Can a sinus infection go into your chest? Infection with a cold or flu virus is among the most common causes of chest congestion and happens when the infection progresses from the upper respiratory tract your nasal passages, sinuses and throatinto the lower respiratory tractyour breathing tubes and lungs.
Can sinusitis cause a chest infection? As many people have discovered through experience, sinusitis can lead to bronchitis, as the two problems share the same germs. The bronchial disease involves inflammation of the mucous membrane in the bronchial passages or airways. Bronchitis takes two forms, acute and chronic.
Can sinusitis cause upper respiratory infection? However, other types of infections can cause a URI too. Influenza, sinus infections, tonsillitis, and strep throat are just a few other types of upper respiratory tract infections.
How do you get rid of a sinus infection in your chest? Sleep with your head propped up on several pillows to make breathing easier and prevent mucus from accumulating in your chest overnight. Take a hot shower and breathe in the steam to ease congestion. Try an over-the-counter pain reliever like ibuprofen or acetaminophen to ease body aches and reduce fever.
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Runny Nose And Postnasal Drip
When you have a sinus infection, you may need to blow your nose often because of nasal discharge, which can be cloudy, green, or yellow. This discharge comes from your infected sinuses and drains into your nasal passages.
The discharge may also bypass your nose and drain down the back of your throat. You may feel a tickle, an itch, or even a sore throat.
This is called postnasal drip, and it may cause you to cough at night when youre lying down to sleep, and in the morning after getting up. It may also cause your voice to sound hoarse.
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How To Tell If You Have An Actual Sinus Infection
Even though we often say we have a sinus infection even if its just inflammation or an allergic response, there are symptoms of an actual infection that may be treatable with antibiotics. Nasal congestion and pain under the eyes or around the temples are, of course, main symptoms, but others include the loss of the sense of smell, green nasal discharge, mucus dripping down your throat, cough, fever, fatigue, sore throat, and even bad breath.
Sometimes, a sinus infection will clear up without intervention, but if you develop a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, have your symptoms for 10 or more days, notice that your symptoms are getting worse and are not improved by OTC medications, or you have multiple infections in a years time, you should seek medical treatment as soon as possible.
What To Do For Chronic Sinusitis
If youre suffering from chronic sinusitis or you are getting frequent sinus infections you should see your doctor, says Dr. Sindwani.
Your doctor will swab your nose to collect mucus. Culturing it in a laboratory will reveal which type of bacteria is causing the infection so the right antibiotic can be prescribed.
Treat early sinus infection symptoms with rest, hydration and over-the-counter sprays and decongestants. But dont look for an antibiotic unless your illness extends beyond a week, he says. Then check in with your doctor for a prescription and let him or her know if your condition worsens.
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Understanding The Causes Of Nasal Congestion
Whats The Main Difference Between Sinus Infection And Covid
The main difference between COVID and a sinus infection is what causes them. A sinus infection is caused by inflammation of the sinuses and often follows a cold or allergy flare-up. COVID-19 is only caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.
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Ways To Relieve Sinus Pain
A cold makes it hard to breathe. When your sinuses get blocked, you might hurt too, especially around your forehead, eyes, cheeks, and nose. The pain might get worse when you touch your face or hold your head down.
You dont need a doctor to deal with sinus pain caused by colds. It tends to get better along with your other cold symptoms. Sometimes, though, bacteria in blocked sinuses can lead to an infection known as bacterial sinusitis. Sinusitis from a bacterial infection might cause pain longer than the week of a typical cold. Your doctor may give you antibiotics and other medications to help you feel better.
Whether your sinus pain is caused by a cold or a bacterial infection, heres how you can relieve it:
WebMD Medical Reference
How Can I Prevent Sinusitis
Some of the home remedies used to treat sinus infections symptoms may help prevent sinusitis. These include rinsing your nose out with salt water and using medications that your provider might suggest, such as allergy medications or steroid nasal sprays.
You should avoid things you are allergic to, like dust, pollen or smoke, and try to avoid sick people. Wash your hands to reduce your chance of getting a cold or flu.
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How Do You Treat A Sinus Infection
When it comes to colds and regular, short-term, one-off sinus infections, you should be okay with over-the-counter medication coupled with plenty of rest and relaxation. As we mentioned earlier, however, if you have a bacterial sinus infection, you may need antibiotics.
Its important to remember that untreated sinus infections can cause more issues later down the line. These issues can negatively impact your sense of smell, eyesight, and even your brain. In other words, if your sinus infection does last more than 7-10 days, dont hesitate to visit your doctor. Its worth it in the long run.
However, one-time sinus infections vs. frequent, unrelenting sinus infections are what differentiates acute and chronic sinusitis.
Chronic sinusitis can last a few months and become a recurring theme in your life. If this is the case, you could end up requiring professional treatment such as balloon sinuplasty.
Balloon sinuplasty is a minimally-invasive procedure that takes less than 20 minutes. During this procedure, a tiny, endoscopic is inflated within your nasal passage. This process opens up your passages and allows for better drainage and long-lasting relief from sinusitis complications.
When To Contact A Medical Professional
- Your symptoms last longer than 10 to 14 days or you have a cold that gets worse after 7 days.
- You have a severe headache that is not relieved by over-the-counter pain medicine.
- You have a fever.
- You still have symptoms after taking all of your antibiotics properly.
- You have any changes in your vision during a sinus infection.
A green or yellow discharge does not mean that you definitely have a sinus infection or need antibiotics.
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Does Running Make Your Sinus Infection Worse
The answer is dependent on the symptoms of the condition and how well you are. Again sinus infection symptoms are usually mild. Oftentimes, they should not be severe enough to keep you in bed. In general, exercising with mild sinusitis symptoms may be OK this is particularly true if you have been so great about your exercise routine before.
Exercise, including running, is excellent booster for the performance of your body immune system. About 3 minutes of moderate, regular exercise may help boost the levels of your T cells, which play a part in your bodys first defenses against invader and infection.
And stronger immune system is what you need when your body is fighting against infection. Furthermore, mild-moderate physical activity may even help improve your nasal congestion, because it can help open you nasal passages.
But although your exercise is helpful to provide a mental and physical boost, there other occasions when you need to take a break .
If the symptoms get worse , hitting the treadmill is a definite no-no! Exercise with fever could be counterproductive or even dangerous.
During exercise, you will have raising body temperature internally. And if you already have fever , your high body temperature can go to overdrive. This will make you even sicker!
EIR is a lot like allergic rhinitis, a term of diagnosis associated with a group of nasal symptoms that develop when you breathe in allergen or something youre allergic to .
Can You Get A Respiratory Infection From Allergies
Furthermore, chronic allergy symptoms cause you to get congested, which causes viruses or bacteria to become “stuck.”Upper respiratory infections and sinus infections can result from this. Getting these infections frequently could lead to more serious issues such as pneumonia.
Allergic rhinitis is the term used to describe inflammation of the membranes surrounding the nose caused by allergies. This often results in stuffy noses, congestion, and frequent colds and flus. The airways may also be affected causing other problems such as asthma or chronic bronchitis.
The most common type of allergy is called “seasonal allergic rhinitis,” meaning it is triggered by something allergen such as pollen or dust mites. People with seasonal allergies should try to identify the season when they start feeling sick and go on an avoidance diet until that time has passed.
People with perennial allergies suffer from constant irritation of the nasal membranes due to persistent exposure to something allergenic. Perennial allergies can also affect the eyes, throat, and lung tissue. Preexisting conditions such as asthma or eczema make someone more likely to have perennial allergies.
Pollen counts are high this year due to the extreme drought throughout much of the United States.
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Best Ways To Treat A Sinus Infection
If you think you may have a sinus infection, see your doctor right away because you most likely need antibiotics, and the sooner you start, the sooner youll feel better.
Sinus irrigation is also recommended for sinus infections as well for colds. It can help ease your symptoms while you wait for the antibiotics to start working. Steroids, decongestants and over-the-counter mucus thinners can also ease your discomfort.
When To Go To The Er For Sinus Infection
When to Go to the ER
A sinus infection comes with loads of awful and draining symptoms. Of course anyone with a sinus infection is uncomfortable, but how do you know when a sinus infection becomes a serious issue? While it is true that most sinus infections clear up on their own in a few days, if left unchecked, a sinus infection can lead to serious medical complications.
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