Could I Have A Sinus Infection And Strep Throat
Did you know that It is possible to have a sinus infection and strep throat at the same time? When your bodys immune system is low, you are more susceptible to illnesses and have a harder time fighting them off. So, what starts as a mild cold can end up a severe sinus infection and strep throat.
A sinus infection occurs when your sinuses become swollen and inflamed. It is common to develop a sinus infection after a cold because a cold can cause sinuses to swell, preventing the discharge of mucus. According to WebMD, When the sinuses become blocked and filled with fluid, bacteria can grow there and cause infection. This infection is sinusitis.
Symptoms
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Stomachache, fatigue, and vomiting
Treatment
A physician can usually determine if you have strep throat in a matter of minutes with a rapid strep test. Once it is confirmed that you have strep throat, he or she will normally prescribe antibiotics. If you have a sinus infection and strep throat, the antibiotics that are prescribed for one illness will usually take care of the other illness as well.
Whether you have strep throat, a sinus infection, a cold, or the flu, FastMed Urgent Care is available to see you every day of the year. With locations throughout North Carolina and Arizona, finding the care you need is simple. Contact your local FastMed today.
Integrated Ear Nose And Throat Of Lone Tree Colorado
A chronic sore throat is considered as any persistent throat irritation, itchiness, or pain that lasts for more than 3 months. While a sore throat is usually thought of as pain, even slight irritation or itchiness of the throat can cause a level of discomfort that may be described as sore.
Causes of a Chronic Sore Throat
The causes of a chronic sore throat may be due to an infection, chemical or mechanical injuries, or some other cause of persistent inflammation. Identifying the cause depends on the other signs and symptoms present, apart from a sore throat, as well as considering the patients medical history.
Other signs and symptoms that may accompany a chronic sore throat include:
- Changes in the voice, especially hoarseness
- Painful swallowing
- Chronic cough or constant clearing of the throat
Chronic Sore Throat Diagnosis
Diagnosing the underlying cause of a sore throat may require a neck x-ray, CT scan, or laryngoscopy.
Medical Conditions That Might Be Causing Signs and Symptoms
A childs sore throat may be due to strep throat, sinusitis, tonsillitis, or all three at different times. Here is a simple breakdown of the three.
Tonsillitis is an infection of the tonsils caused by any virus or bacteria. It can be acute or chronic. Infections that cause tonsillitis can travel and cause sinusitis.
Tonsils
- A popping sound in the ear
- Your ear feeling like its full
- Fluid draining from the ear
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Can A Sinus Infection Cause A Sore Throat
A sore throat can just be a symptom of a common cold that will soon clear up. Other times, however, it can be an indication that you may have a sinus infection.
In this blog, the board-certified ear, nose, and throat doctors with New York ENT explain how a sinus infection can cause a sore throat, as well as other symptoms.
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Care Advice For Sinus Congestion
Will Strep Throat Go Away On Its Own
We highly recommend being seen by a provider if you are concerned you may have strep throat. Strep throat typically goes away in three to seven days with or without antibiotic treatment. However, if you dont take antibiotics, you can remain contagious for two to three weeks and are at a higher risk for complications, such as rheumatic fever.
Whats more, complications resulting from the bacterial infection can lead to increased susceptibility to other viral infections like influenza which can be fatal.
Pro Tip: If you have been diagnosed with strep throat, you can help prevent repeat infections by changing your and your families toothbrushes and thoroughly disinfecting all surfaces that may have been in contact with the strep virus.
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Sore Throats And Ear Infections In Children
Experts say that the anatomy and physiology of young childrens ears make them vulnerable to infection. The ear has three parts: the inner ear, the outer ear, and the middle ear. For infants and toddlers, the tube that leads from the nose to the middle ear, the Eustachian Tube, is different compared to an older child or an adult. This tube is horizontal, wider, and shorter in children. The shape of the Eustachian Tube in children makes it easier for germs to travel into the middle ear. When the tube is blocked, as is typical from the congestion of a cold or flu, the fluid that normally drains from the middle ear cannot exit. Bacteria or a virus can incubate in this build up, ultimately leading to an ear infection. The fluid that pushes on the eardrum is what causes ear pain. The younger a child is when he had his first ear infection, the more likely he will have repeated infections in the future. In general, more boys get ear infections than girls do.
Here are some symptoms to watch for in your children regarding sore throats and ear infections:
- Pain and tugging on the ears.
- Head shaking, especially when coupled with a fever.
- Problems sleeping .
- In addition, since sucking and swallowing are painful when a sore throat is present, your child may have trouble eating.
- In infants, sometimes irritability may be the only clue. Frequent crying and nasal discharge are also clues to look for when trying to diagnose a sore throat or ear infection in babies.
What Are The Important Warning Signs
Strep throat infection often starts as sore throat. With the gradual progression of the disease, the following signs and symptoms become prominent-
- Swollenness and redness of tonsil glands
- Inflammation of neck glands, accompanied by constant throbbing pain
- Extreme tenderness of the neck glands
- Presence of pus on the reddened tonsil glands
- Pain in the neck glands radiating to adjoining areas such as ear
- Pain in ear especially during swallowing or chewing
- Increased warmth of a sore throat
- Fever and headache
The following methods will help you combat a strep throat infection:
- Get extra rest and drink herbal teas to soothe the pain.
- Take the due antibiotic medication course and make sure that you take the complete prescribed dosage. The most widely used antibiotics are amoxicillin and penicillin.
- OTC painkillers may also be prescribed to reduce the painful symptoms.
- Home remedies such as consuming bone broth, apple cider vinegar, raw honey, and vitamin C rich foods can help with the infection.
- Gargling with warm saline water will get rid of the bacteria and ease the pain in the throat.
In order to prevent a strep throat:
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Does Upper Respiratory Cause Diarrhea
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea may occur with a URI associated with influenza infection. If the URI progresses to sinusitis, symptoms may include a severe headache, face pain, thick green or yellow nasal discharge, or tooth pain.
Can you get conjunctivitis with an eye cold?
An eye cold is very contagious, especially while you still have symptoms. Unlike bacterial conjunctivitis, an eye cold wont respond to antibiotics. In fact, use of antibiotic eye drops can make viral conjunctivitis last longer. Your treatment will focus on relieving your eye cold symptoms and preventing further spread of the infection.
What causes a fever and sore throat with conjunctivitis?
Depending on the cause of viral conjunctivitis, some patients may have additional symptoms or conditions, such as the following: Pharyngoconjunctivial fever a syndrome that can produce conjunctivitis as well as a fever and sore throat, and is most commonly caused by infection with adenovirus serotypes 3, 4, and 7
Parents Warn Others Of Strep In Sinuses
Arden Hawleys post has been shared more than a million times. And its already doing just what Arden hoped raising awareness and helping other parents.
After seeing Ardens viral post about strep in the sinuses, another mom shared her own experience on the Simply Real Moms Facebook page.
The flu had swept through this moms house. So when her youngest came down with a fever, she figured he was the latest flu victim in the family.
However, then red marks started appearing.
At first, the mom blamed the fever. But as the splotchy rash progressed, she remembered seeing Ardens Facebook post and took her son to the doctor. Sure enough, he tested positive for both the flu and strep throat.
The said that a rash and the facial marks are common symptoms. I had NO idea and apparently, neither does anyone Ive told over the past few days, the mom wrote. Like Arden, she decided to get the word out, saying, So I feel obligated to let other parents know about these unknown indicators that your child is suffering from strep.
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How Long Do Sinus Infections Last
Many variables affect the duration of sinus infections. Most last more than 10 days, but when a sinus infection lasts more than twelve weeks, it is considered chronic sinusitis.
If after 10 days, your symptoms have not improved, see your primary care doctor. You may have an acute sinus infection.If it lasts four weeks, you potentially have a sub-acute sinus infection that needs more aggressive treatment.
If symptoms last over 12 weeks, youre likely dealing with a chronic infection. After such prolonged symptoms, it can be difficult to distinguish sinus headaches from migraine headaches from severe allergies. After 12 weeks, diagnosing and treating the issue requires the medical expertise of an ENT.
How Are Sinus Infections Treated
Many sinus infections caused by a virus will resolve on their own without any treatment with antibiotics, Melinda said. This is important because if you dont need antibiotics, its better not to take them as they can cause side effects and long-term resistance. An infection caused by bacteria, however, will likely require antibiotics.
Sometimes your health care provider may ask you to take over-the-counter medications to help your symptoms and monitor your condition further.
Examples of over-the-counter medication include:
- Saline nasal spray
- Acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain relief
- A warm compress on your nose and forehead to relieve sinus pressure
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What Is Sinusitis And What Are Sinusitis Symptoms
When it comes to sore throats, it can sometimes be difficult to tell if the sore throat is due to a sinus infection or the common cold. Asinus infection is most frequently caused by bacteria settling in your blocked sinuses, resulting in inflammation and pain.
To deduce whether or not you have a sinus infection, look for the following sinusitis symptoms:
- Tenderness in the face, including ear, eye, and teeth pain
- Redness/swelling in the face and nasal passages
- Thick yellow or green mucus
- Itchy ears and throat
Keep in mind that the symptoms of sinusitis can be very similar to cold symptoms. However, sinusitis typically lasts longer than your average cold. In addition, untreated sinusitis symptoms can lead to further complications, with more extreme cases leading to a decreased sense of smell or even loss of vision. Because of this, its important to look for the aforementioned signs of sinusitis and seek treatment if necessary.
What Are The Symptoms Of An Eye Cold
Eye cold symptoms. Signs of an eye cold include general conjunctivitis symptoms like reddening of the whites of your eyes, sensitivity to light, swollen eyelids, and clear, white, or yellow discharge from your eyes.
What are the signs and symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis?
Signs and symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis overlap with other causes of conjunctivitis, including viral and allergic conjunctivitis, which can make diagnosis difficult. Typical signs and symptoms include: Contact lens wearers with bacterial conjunctivitis are at higher risk of bacterial keratitis.
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How Is Strep Throat Diagnosed
A doctor may rule out strep throat if you have clear symptoms that indicate a viral infection, like a cough and runny nose. But its important to see a doctor even with these symptoms, so they diagnose the illness and treat it, if necessary.
See your doctor if you experience any of the following:
- a sore throat that lasts longer than 2 days
- a sore throat with white patches
- dark, red splotches or spots on the tonsils or the top of the mouth
- a sore throat with a fine, sandpaper-like pink rash on the skin
- difficulty breathing
- difficulty swallowing
Your doctor will examine your throat and check for signs of inflammation. They may also check your neck for swollen lymph nodes and ask about other symptoms.
If you do not have viral symptoms, like cough, runny nose, and a hoarse voice, your doctor cant rule out strep caused by bacteria. But they can do a rapid test or take a throat culture to make a definitive strep diagnosis.
Does A Sinus Infection Cause Sore Throat
Does a sinus infection cause sore throat? Yes, it certainly can. Sinus infections can often lead to complications with post-nasal drip excess mucus draining down the back of your throat which in turn can cause a sore throat or cough.
Fortunately, there are several ways to relieve a sore throat due to sinusitis. We cover those treatments here, along with sinusitis basics, info about other sinusitis symptoms, and more.
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What Decongestants And Nasal Sprays Soothe Or Cure Sinus Infections Or Sinusitis
Taking decongestants and mucolytics orally may be helpful in assisting drainage of sinus infection.
The treatment of chronic forms of sinus infection requires longer courses of medications, such as Augmentin, and may require a sinus drainage procedure. This drainage typically requires a surgical operation to open the blocked sinus under general anesthesia. In general, antihistamines should be avoided unless it is felt that the sinusitis sinus infection is due to allergies, such as from pollens, dander, or other environmental causes.
It is likely that the use of a topical nasal steroid spray will help reduce swelling in the allergic individual without the drying that is caused by using antihistamines although both are occasionally used. Oral steroids may be prescribed to reduce acute inflammation and to help with chronic inflammation in cases with or without polyps and in allergic fungal sinusitis.
In many people, allergic sinusitis develops first, and later, bacterial infection occurs. For these individuals, early treatment of allergic sinusitis may prevent the development of secondary bacterial sinusitis.
In rare instances or in natural disasters, fungal infections may develop in debilitated people. Death rates of 50%-85% have been reported for patients with these sinus infections. Treatment relies on early diagnosis followed by immediate surgical debridement, antifungal drugs, , and stabilizing any underlying health problem such as diabetes.
The Evidence: Antibiotics For Acute Sore Throat
Another Cochrane review identified 15 trials assessing antibiotics for acute sore throat.4 These trials reported on the incidence of symptoms three days after the patient had been seen by a clinician. In the control group, about 77% of patients were still experiencing throat soreness compared with 66% of patients given antibiotics . This represents a risk ratio of 0.68 . The evidence is very robust .4 The number of patients who need to be treated with antibiotics for one of them to benefit is 3.7 for those who have a positive throat swab for streptococci, 6.5 for those with a negative swab, and 14.4 for those not swabbed. It should be noted that trials that did not swab had a less serious case mix.
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Strep Isnt Limited To The Throat
During the flu and cold season, its not at all uncommon for strep infections to start making their rounds, too. But Idaho parents Arden and Ashlee Hawley learned they needed to keep an eye out for strep in more places than just the throat.
It all began when a strange mark showed up on their son Coops face.
We thought was compliments of his little brother, Arden said.
But as the red mark got worse, they had the boys physician take a look.
The doctor sent Coop home with a steroid. But that only made the red rash, which now stretched across poor Coops face, worse. So, his parents took him to the emergency room.
Thats where doctors discovered the culprit a strep infection in the sinuses!
It could have been really bad had we not come in, Arden on social media. They told us it will continue to migrate through there eyes and into their brain if not treated.
Coop is back home recovering and doing just fine, thank God. But Arden wanted to use social media as a way to get the word out about his sons strep sinuses infection to warn other parents.
Please take this and show as far and wide as you can, he wrote, It may save someone’s babies.