Many people don’t actually know that Sinus Infection and cold are similar yet very different from each other. The symptoms of sinusitis and cold relatively mimic each other by sinusitis is fairly serious in nature.
Sinusitis is not easily manageable and is quite difficult to cope with. A sinus infection can arise from the cold as well. However, reading this article will help you differentiate between a cold and a Sinusitis . Sinus infections are a bit more difficult to treat and require different treatment as well.
The causes of sinusitis cannot be narrowed down as they can be many underlying reasons like allergies, infections, chemicals, inflammation and even bacteria.
Symptom #1: Headaches
Headaches are common in cases of cold and sinus but are more common in sinus infections. They’re caused by increased pressure and inflammations in the sinuses.
Pressure causes the sinus tissues to expand and face muscles to tighten.
Symptom #2: Fever
A fever is caused during a sinus but not a cold. Fever is a result of the body trying to eliminate bacteria or virus from it as a high temperature kills these organisms. This heat created causes the fever which in turn results in the brain heating up leading to headaches.
Symptom #3: Bad Breath
Sinus infections could contribute to bad breath, known as Halitosis in medical terms. Halitosis is caused by excessive mucus that your sinus are producing.
A build-up of mucus is caused because the mucus isn’t able to drain out of the sinus passageways. Mucus containing bacteria which causes an unpleasant odour.
Symptom #4: Post-Nasal Drip
A postnasal drip is a mucus that drips down from the back of your throat after being stuck in the sinus.
This mucus causes irritation and discomfort.
Symptom #5: Morning Cough
Persons suffering from sinus are more prone to experiencing intense coughing the first thing after they wake up in the morning.
This is because the Post Nasal Drip takes place during the resting hours as the mucus gets retained in the sinus throughout the day. It gathers in the respiratory system.
This big build-up of mucus is thicker and harder to pass than regular mucus, thus causing aggressive coughing in the morning. Until the infection has recovered or sometimes even a few days after, it is normal to pass a fairly large wad of phlegm.
Symptom #6: Discolored Mucus
The colour of the mucus is another way of differentiating between a sinus infection and a cold. The colour of mucus during sinus is dark coloured and in yellow and green.
As the infection passes, the colour of the mucus will return to normal.
Symptom #7: Fatigue
Sinus infections cause fatigue just like in other infections. Sluggishness and exhaust midst coughing and headaches can be an indication of some infection.
This fatigue isn’t necessarily bad as this shows that the immune system is working to get rid of the infection which takes a lot of energy thus causing fatigue.
Symptom #8: Sore Throat
Sore throats can be a result of Post Nasal Drip. The mucus is forced down through the back of the throat instead of normally passing through the sinus. As the Post Nasal Drip gets more intense, more irritation is caused.
It starts off as an irritating tickle and as the infections get more serious, it becomes painful and inflamed.
Symptom #9: Inflamed Sinuses
A common indicator of a Sinusitis is the inflammation of the sinus. This is another difference between sinus and cold.
This inflammation causes a dull throbbing pain which leads to pain in the areas that the sinus covers- behind the eyes, the nasal bones and cheeks.
Inflammation of the sinus is what leads to post- Nasal Drips and headaches.
Symptom #10: Congestion
One of the symptoms of a Sinusitis is congestion. If your head gets heavier than usual, it is because your sinus is congested. The sinus connects the nasal passage to the rest of the respiratory system. Thus congestion can feel uncomfortable and strange.
You shouldn’t always jump to antibiotics as they don’t reduce the symptoms. Rather supplements that boost the immune system would help.
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