It is more difficult to treat and responds more slowly to antibiotics than acute sinusitis. Antibiotic therapy is usually recommended for chronic sinusitis and may require a longer course of treatment.
You may need to try more than one antibiotic. A corticosteroid nasal spray that reduces inflammation and swelling of the lining of the nasal passages may also be used during treatment.
In some people, a sinus infection may be caused by a fungus or a bacterium other than those normally associated with sinusitis. People who have an impaired immune system are at risk for these unusual infections.
It also may include people who must use an oral or inhaled corticosteroid medicine such as prednisone. Fungal sinusitis, which accounts for a significant number of chronic sinusitis cases, does not respond to antibiotic treatment and may need treatment with antifungal medicines, corticosteroids, or surgery.
Surgery may be required if you have taken antibiotics for an extended period of time but still have symptoms or when complications such as infection of facial bones are likely. Sinusitis may be difficult to diagnose, because it often causes the same symptoms as a cold or other viral illness, especially in its early stages. It can be particularly difficult to identify sinusitis in children. If your child or you have frequent sinus infections, learn what signs to watch for, and begin home treatment immediately.
Symptoms of chronic sinusitis are often vague and may not respond well to treatment. It may take time and patience to find a successful treatment. Make sure your child gets all the recommended immunizations.
Some immunizations, such as pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, may help prevent ear and sinus infections. Home treatment may relieve symptoms of pain and pressure associated with short-term acute sinusitis.
Home treatment may improve drainage of mucus from the sinuses and prevent the need for antibiotics. If you have chronic sinusitis, you'll probably need to continue the above home treatment measures for a long period of time to keep your sinuses clear. Medicines may be needed when symptoms of sinusitis are severe or do not improve. The goals of treatment with medicine are to:. Medicines are used and sometimes combined to treat sinusitis. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label.
If you are taking antibiotics for a sinus infection, do not stop taking the antibiotics early just because you feel better. Take the entire course of antibiotics. The infection may not go away if you do not take all of the antibiotics prescribed by your doctor. Antibiotic treatment is successful in most cases of short-term acute sinusitis when it is caused by bacteria.
You should notice improvement within 3 to 4 days after you begin taking an antibiotic. Chronic sinusitis may last 12 weeks or longer and usually requires 3 to 4 weeks of antibiotic treatment.
Symptoms may persist or return despite adequate antibiotic treatment. A different antibiotic may be needed to treat the infection.
Referral to an ear, nose, and throat ENT specialist also called an otolaryngologist may be needed if symptoms of sinusitis do not go away despite long-term antibiotic treatment. The goal of surgery is to make drainage of the sinuses better, usually by removing the blockage and draining the mucus. This may mean removing:. Surgery may be the only means of getting a badly blocked, infected sinus to drain properly. But surgery does not always completely eliminate sinusitis.
Some people may need a second operation. Surgery is most successful when used along with medicine and home treatment to prevent future sinusitis. A second surgery and future sinusitis may be avoided if antibiotics are taken to prevent reinfection. Endoscopic surgery is preferred over traditional surgery for most cases of chronic sinusitis that require surgery. It is less invasive, less expensive, and has a lower rate of complications.
Very few people need surgery to treat sinusitis. But you may need surgery if ALL of these are true:. The extent of the blockage and other problems determine how extensive your surgery will need to be. Surgery may be limited to removal of infected tissue or small growths polyps inside the nose.
More extensive surgery involves removing pieces of bone to create a wider opening to allow a sinus to drain. Sinus surgery is always performed by an ear, nose, and throat ENT specialist also called an otolaryngologist.
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Topic Overview What is sinusitis? Sinus infections often follow a cold and cause pain and pressure in your head and face. What causes sinusitis? Sinusitis can be caused by three things: Viruses. The same viruses that cause the common cold cause most cases of sinusitis. What are the symptoms? Other common symptoms of sinusitis may include: A headache. Bad breath. A cough that produces mucus. A fever. Pain in your teeth. A reduced sense of taste or smell.
How is sinusitis diagnosed? How is it treated? But there are some things you can do at home to help relieve your symptoms: Drink plenty of fluids. Put a hot, damp towel or gel pack on your face for 5 to 10 minutes at a time, several times a day. Breathe warm, moist air from a steamy shower, a hot bath, or a sink filled with hot water. Use saline nose drops and sprays to keep the nasal passages moist and use saline nasal washes to help keep the nasal passages open and wash out mucus and bacteria.
Try over-the-counter medicine to help relieve pain and pressure in your head and face. Health Tools Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health. Decision Points focus on key medical care decisions that are important to many health problems. Sinusitis: Should I Have Surgery? Sinusitis: Should I Take Antibiotics?
Cause Sinusitis is most often the result of a viral infection that causes the mucous membrane lining the inside of the nose and the sinuses to become inflamed. The mucous membrane swells when it becomes inflamed, blocking the drainage of fluid from the sinuses into the nose and throat. Mucus and fluid build up inside the sinuses, causing pressure and pain. Bacteria are more likely to grow in sinuses that are unable to drain properly.
Bacterial infection in the sinuses often causes more inflammation and pain. Symptoms Pain and pressure in the face along with a stuffy or runny nose are the main symptoms of sinusitis. Other common symptoms of sinusitis include: Headache. Yellow or greenish discharge from the nose or down the back of the throat. Stuffy nose. Cough that produces mucus. Tooth pain. Reduced sense of taste or smell. What Happens There are two types of sinusitis: acute sudden onset and chronic long-term.
What Increases Your Risk Your risk of sinusitis increases if you have recently had a cold, another viral or bacterial infection, or an upper respiratory tract infection. When should you call your doctor? Call your doctor if sinusitis does not improve after 2 days of home treatment and you have symptoms such as: Pain in the face or upper teeth. Pain extending from the bridge of the nose to the lower eyelid. Headache that is not relieved by an over-the-counter pain medicine, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
Nasal discharge that starts out clear and later becomes thick and discolored yellow or green. Cold symptoms that last longer than 10 days or get worse after the first 7 days. Mild or chronic pain in the face that lasts longer than a month, has changed, or has not been checked by a doctor.
Therefore, patients with sinus symptoms should consider taking an antibiotic only if symptoms including discolored nasal discharge persist beyond days. Antibiotics help eliminate a sinus infection by attacking the bacteria that cause it, but until the drugs take effect, they do not do much to alleviate symptoms.
Some over-the-counter medications can help provide relief. Topical nasal decongestants can be helpful if used for no more than three to four days.
These medications shrink swollen nasal passages, facilitating the flow of drainage from the sinuses. Overuse of topical nasal decongestants can result in a dependent condition in which the nasal passages swell shut, called rebound phenomenon.
Antihistamines block inflammation caused by an allergic reaction so they can help to fight symptoms of allergies that can lead to swollen nasal and sinus passages. Over-the-counter combination drugs should be used with caution. Some of these drugs contain drying agents that can thicken mucus.
Only use them when prescribed by your allergist. These prescription nasal sprays prevent and reverse inflammation and swelling in the nasal passages and sinus openings, addressing the biggest problem associated with sinus infection.
Topical nasal corticosteroid sprays are also effective in shrinking and preventing the return of nasal polyps. If drug therapies have failed, surgery may be recommended as a last resort. It is usually performed by an otolaryngologist. Anatomical defects are the most common target of surgery. Your surgeon can fix defects in the bone separating the nasal passages, remove nasal polyps, and open up closed passages.
Sinus surgery is performed under either local or general anesthesia, and patients often can go home on the same day. Essentially yes, the definition of sinusitis is the same as sinus infection. Sinuses are normally air-filled pockets in the bone of the face. They are found in your forehead, at the bridge of your nose, way behind your eyes and at the apples of your cheeks.
If these air pockets become blocked with fluid, germ like viruses or bacteria and sometimes fungus can multiply in these dark hard-to-reach spaces — and then you have an infection. There are two major forms of sinus infections also called sinusitis : acute and chronic. Chronic sinus infections may drag on for months at a time. Both acute and chronic sinus infections can be viral or bacterial.
Some long-standing infections are fungal. First you need to know the cause of the sinus infection. Is it viral or bacterial?
To get relief from sinus infection symptoms you can use nasal decongestant sprays, oral and topical antihistamines, nasal steroids and nasal saline washes. For a bacterial infection, antibiotics are usually prescribed. But be careful here. Due to the overprescribing of antibiotics in recent years, and the development of antibiotic resistance, allergists recommend only taking an antibiotic if the symptoms last more than seven to 10 days.
The sinus cavity, which is like a dark cave, fills up with fluid and becomes blocked. This is the perfect place for germs to grow.
People who have nasal allergies already have this sinus irritation. If you have a weak immune system , you are more likely to develop sinus infection from bacteria or mold. Other things that can cause sinus infections are colds, seasonal allergies, nasal polyps or a deviated septum. With a deviated septum one side of the nose is shifted over, and it makes it hard to drain mucous, so the sinuses get backed up. They include: postnasal drip that thick mucus in the back of your throat , discolored nasal discharge green mucous coming out of your nose , stuffy nose or nasal congestion and tenderness or pain in the face — usually under the eyes or around the nose.
You can also have headaches, tooth pain, coughing from the post nasal drip, fever, fatigue, a bad smell in your nose or a bad taste in your mouth and bad breath. Sinus Infection Sinus infection is a major health problem. On this page. Overview Sinus infection known as sinusitis is a major health problem. Find expert care.
Find an Allergist. Sinus infection symptoms A bad cold is often mistaken for a sinus infection. Sinus infection diagnosis If you think you have a sinus infection, see your allergist for proper diagnosis. What is sinusitis? The sinuses are air-filled cavities. They are located: Within the bony structure of the cheeks Behind the forehead and eyebrows On either side of the bridge of the nose Behind the nose directly in front of the brain An infection of the sinus cavity close to the brain can be life threatening, if not treated.
So, a sinus infection is technically called sinusitis, and it's basically the term for when your sinuses are inflamed , according to the US National Library of Medicine NLM. As for what those sinuses are, exactly, they're "pockets in the face next to the nose that are typically full of air," Philip Chen, MD, otolaryngologist with UT Health San Antonio, tells Health. Another type of sinus infection, rhinosinusitis, occurs when the lining of the sinus cavities ar swollen, along with the lining of the nasal cavity, says Dr.
As for what causes a sinus infection, it's typically a condition that blocks the sinuses, like a viral upper respiratory tract infection aka, a cold , or allergies, Landon Duyka, MD, otolaryngologist at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, tells? The blockage ultimately "allows for an infection to develop and progress within the sinuses.
Here's How to Tell the Difference. But here's some quick advice: That whole thing about the color of your snot like, if it's green or yellow telling you whether or not you have a bacterial or viral infection?
Something else you need to know: There are two different types of sinusitis, acute and chronic sinusitis.
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