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.
Your allergist may consider ordering a sinus CT. This test can help to define the extent of the infection. Your allergist may also send you to a specialist in allergy and immunology. The specialist will check for underlying factors such as allergies, asthma, structural defects, or a weakness of the immune system.
Stuffy nose. Facial pain or pressure. Headache. Mucus dripping down the throat (post-nasal drip)
Typically, antibiotics are needed when: Sinus infection symptoms last over a week. Symptoms worsen after starting to get better. Sinusitis symptoms are severe (high fever, skin infection or rash, extreme pain or tenderness around the eyes or nose)
About 70 percent of the time, symptoms of acute bacterial sinus infections go away within two weeks without antibiotics. When sinusitis symptoms last seven to 10 days or more, it's a good idea to see a doctor to discuss treatment options.
Antibiotics and sinus infections
This may give you the idea that you need antibiotics, but most clear up without them. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses and aren't recommended within the first week of developing a cold. About 70% of sinus infections go away within two weeks without antibiotics.
Left untreated, a sinus infection has the potential to spread to your meninges (the protective coverings around your brain and spinal cord), causing them to become inflamed — a condition called meningitis. Meningitis gives rise to the following signs and symptoms: Sudden, high-grade fever. Neck stiffness.
A viral sinus infection is much more common than a bacterial one. With viral sinusitis, a virus infects the lining of your facial and nasal cavities. It is typically caused by a viral upper respiratory infection. A bacterial sinus infection is caused by bacteria infecting the lining of your facial and nasal cavities.
Red Flag Symptoms. Eye signs, including periorbital swelling or erythema, displaced globe, visual changes, ophthalmoplegia. Severe unilateral headache, bilateral frontal headache, or frontal swelling. Neurological signs or reduced conscious level.
Routine blood tests. These help in detection of an infection. This infection may lead to increase in the white blood cell counts. Allergies or hay fever giving rise to sinusitis may cause rise in specific type of white blood cells called the Eosinophil.
The virus life cycle can be divided into three stages—entry, genome replication, and exit (Fig. 3.1 ).
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if the symptoms are severe and include high fever along with nasal drainage and a productive cough. Antibiotics may also be necessary if you feel better after a few days and then your symptoms return or if the infection lasts more than a week.
For adults, 5 to 7 days is enough
The guidelines recommend treating bacterial sinus infections with amoxicillin-clavulanate, instead of the drug currently used, amoxicillin, because the addition of clavulanate helps to thwart the development of antibiotic resistance.
The symptoms of sinusitis are not unique to the disease itself. Other disease processes can mimic sinusitis including the common cold, allergies, migraine headache, chronic daily headache, myofascial pain, temporomandibular joint or jaw pain, rhinitis medicamentosa, and even sleep apnea.
Sinus infections can be viral or bacterial. “Either way, it's best to stay home,” Wigmore says. Viral sinus infections are often contagious. If you have had symptoms longer than one week, or if you have severe facial pain, teeth/jaw pain, or fever, you may have a bacterial infection and should consult your doctor.
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.
Seeking medical attention is important as sinus infections can quickly worsen and cause further complications. It's important to seek medical attention if you're experiencing persistent symptoms, a high fever, severe headaches, pain in the face or teeth, difficulty breathing, or loss of smell or taste.
Garlic. Garlic is well known for being a natural antibiotic. Since colds often lead to a sinus infection, garlic is an awesome way to naturally treat a sinus infection and even prevent it in the first place.
A bacterial sinus infection is caused by bacteria, and it is not contagious. However, it's important to note that most sinus infections are caused by a virus. This is why antibiotics should be used only when it is clear the cause is bacterial. Sinus infections can also be caused by fungi, and these are not contagious.