Ordinary Colds or Sinusitis?
Whether you’re feeling a bit under the weather due to a headache, a congested nose or puffing around the eyes, you may have something called sinusitis. Albeit the fact that it may be painful and could cause real discomfort, the condition is not that severe. Caused mainly by an infection, sinusitis is basically an inflammation of the sinuses, which are located within the bones of our faces on the nasal region.
So what are sinuses for?
Well, our sinuses actually fill up with air, thus making the bones in our face less dense and a lot lighter. Additionally, the quality and sound of our voices are manipulated by the sinuses. But when something goes wrong with our sinuses, this is a sign, more or less, that we have sinusitis. This is either caused by viruses or bacteria or even both. Viral sinusitis is generally less severe than bacterial. Basically, we could say that someone who got hold of a cold has his sinuses inflamed, thus having viral sinusitis. This type of sinusitis can also be caused by the presence of allergies. On the other hand, bacterial sinusitis has a tendency to induce a lot more pain on a person, not to mention more swelling. Persons infected with bacterial sinusitis also have a high chance of developing a fever.
Bacterial sinusitis can be manifested by the following symptoms:
So how do we treat sinusitis?
For bacterial sinusitis, doctors usually prescribe the use of antibiotics. You may be required to take them for at least 3 weeks to fully dispel the bacteria from your system. A decongestant is also normally prescribed to patients of all forms of sinusitis. In the case of allergies resulting to sinusitis, doctors may also recommend antihistamines for daily intake.