An untreated sinus infection may cause ansomnia, a decrease, or a complete loss of smell. Inflammation and blockage of your sinus passageways or damage to your olfactory nerves cause ansomnia. In many cases, ansomnia is only temporary but can become permanent.
If a bacterial infection sets in, symptoms will generally last longer than 10 days. In severe cases, especially if left untreated, bacterial sinus infections can endure for weeks. However, if the bacterial infection is diagnosed and treated in time, symptoms should start clearing up within a few days.
See a doctor if you have: Severe symptoms, such as severe headache or facial pain. Symptoms that get worse after improving. Symptoms lasting more than 10 days without getting better.
If symptoms don't improve after 10 days or if you have a persistent fever for more than three or four days, seek medical attention. Also, if you have a history of recurrent acute sinusitis or chronic sinusitis, consider seeing an ear, nose and throat specialist for evaluation and treatment.
Chronic sinusitis can be caused by an infection, growths in the sinuses (nasal polyps) or swelling of the lining of your sinuses. Signs and symptoms may include a blocked or stuffy (congested) nose that causes difficulty breathing through your nose, and pain and swelling around your eyes, cheeks, nose or forehead.
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.
If your sinus infection just won't go away or keeps coming back, it may be time to see an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist. An ENT treats conditions of the ear, nose, throat, head, face, and neck. It may be time to see an ENT if: You've completed several courses of antibiotics without success.
You should go to an ER if you're experiencing sinus pain along with any of the following serious symptoms: Difficulty breathing. Rash. Neck pain.
Sinusitis usually goes away on its own. Sinusitis is usually caused by a virus, so antibiotics won't help. Over-the-counter medicines and home treatment can help you feel better. Antibiotics do work if sinusitis is caused by bacteria.
Serious Sinus Infections
While rare, the infection from a sinus issue can spread to the eyes or brain. If the infection reaches the eyes you can experience redness, swelling around the eyes and reduced vision. Cavernous sinus thrombosis is a rare infection that can lead to blindness.
As your body works hard to fight off the sinus infection, you'll feel more tired than usual. Fatigue can be also be caused by head pain, a lack of adequate sleep, and difficulty breathing due to sinusitis.
Blowing the nose can worsen the feeling of congestion due to pressure build-up within the nostrils, which may shoot up the mucus into the sinuses instead of ejection through the nose.
Examples of fluids to drink when a person has a sinus infection include: plain water. hot water with lemon, honey, or ginger. herbal teas.
Vitamins and minerals — Colorful fruits and vegetables — like apricots, cantaloupe, strawberries, red and green peppers, kale, parsley and broccoli — get high praise from the scientists working on sinus healers world-wide. They contain lots of vitamin C which is known to fend off colds, allergies and sinus infections.
A sinus infection is diagnosed in a physical exam by a primary care doctor, who will look inside your nasal cavity and check for sinus pressure or tenderness by gently touching or feeling your face.
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.
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.
Are sinus infections contagious? “Because many times sinus infections are caused by viruses, they can be contagious like other infections, such as colds,” Melinda said. “If you have a sinus infection, it's important to use good hygiene skills.