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Ways to Distinguish Sinusitis

Due to the fast way of life today, getting sick is out of the question. Sinusitis is more common than hypertension and arthritis. Common sinus infection symptoms include facial pain, headache and fever. Sinusitis usually results from infections on the upper respiratory tract. It is caused by the inflammation of the mucosal of one or more lining of the sinuses.

Sinus infection can be classified in two ways: based on the time span and the type of inflammation. Sinus infections based on time span are acute sinusitis, subacute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis. Infectious and noninfectious are the types of inflammation.

Almost all sinus infection symptoms start with a common cold, which is caused by a virus. Colds do not necessarily cause the symptoms of sinusitis but they contribute to the inflammation of the sinuses. The inflammation also adds to symptoms that eventually develop into acute sinusitis. Flu and allergy attack sometimes also precedes acute sinusitis. It is considered as an acute sinus infection if it is less than 30 days duration.

The symptoms of acute sinusitis include cloudy, discolored nasal drainage, nasal stuffiness, sore throat and cough. Headaches when leaning forward is also a symptom of sinusitis.

The difference between the symptoms of sinusitis to those of colds and allergies, is that sinusitis is more often accompanied by facial pain, thick yellow or green mucus, post-natal drip and typically lasts longer than 7 to 10 days of a common cold.

Subacute sinus infection is the next stage of sinus infection and this already has a time span of over a month but less than three months.

Chronic sinus infection is diagnosed if the infection is greater than 3 months. It is the result of too many cases of acute sinusitis, which causes the bacteria to grow continuously. Chronic sinusitis may not totally involve an infection but chronic inflammation, a buildup of mucus, and sinus pressure and pain.

To diagnose a chronic sinusitis, laboratory tests need to be done. Blood tests to rule out other conditions associated with sinusitis, cultures (special blood tests) to detect bacterial or fungal infection and biopsy to determine the health of the cells lining the nasal cavity are just a few of these tests.

Sinus infection has a lot of variations, and it is up to you to determine just what kind it is. So once you started to have any of these symptoms, try to consult with a physician immediately to avoid any further complications. Getting sick is just not an option because of the very high cost of living today. So stay healthy!

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