Sinus Infection

What is a sinus infection?

Sinus infections are sometimes referred to as sinusitis. You can have an acute sinus infection that lasts for four weeks or less or a chronic sinus infection that can continue for 12 weeks or more, which may recur several times throughout the year. They cause symptoms including sinus pain and congestion, cloudy or green sinus discharge, headaches, and a sore throat and cough.

When you have a cold, you experience symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose, a fever, a sore throat, headaches, or a cough. While a sinus infection causes similar symptoms, they’re due to infection and inflammation in your sinuses, not an upper respiratory infection. Sinus infections typically last for much longer than the common cold. For example, a cold usually lasts less than a week, but a sinus infection can affect your health for much longer.

When should I see a doctor for a sinus infection?

If you’ve had cold symptoms for more than a week, or if your symptoms started to subside only to come back even more severely, you may have a sinus infection and should make an appointment for diagnosis and treatment. Sinus infections are often bacterial and require antibiotics to get rid of them.

How is a sinus infection diagnosed?

The health care providers at Low Testosterone & Weight Loss Center examine your sinuses and talk to you about your symptoms to diagnose sinus infections. Some of the signs they look for are red and inflamed sinus, facial pain and tenderness, discolored nasal discharge, and bad breath.

They may perform a sinus swab to test for a bacterial or fungal infection. Your provider may also use a thin tube with a light and camera on its tip to examine your sinuses for abnormal growths or inflammation that could contribute to your symptoms.

How is a sinus infection treated?

Treatment for sinus infections depends on the specific type of infection. For example, if you have a bacterial infection, your provider can prescribe antibiotics to help your body fight off the infection. However, if you have a viral infection, your doctor may prescribe antiviral medicines or steroids to help your body recover.

In some cases, when chronic sinusitis is due to a structural abnormality or growths like polyps in your sinuses, your provider may recommend surgical treatments such as balloon sinuplasty to repair your sinuses.

Call Low Testosterone & Weight Loss Center or make an appointment online today for expert diagnosis and treatment for sinus infections.