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Sinus Infection Symptoms

by on August 26, 2015

Knowing when an acute sinus infection is viral or bacterial is imperative for a proper diagnosis and treatment. Each can have very devastating effects if the right path of treatment is not applied.

For instance, a viral and bacterial are two totally separate types of infections. Antibiotics do not work against viruses but are unfortunately frequently prescribed for sinusitis. The drugs overuse can foster resistant bacteria, which for sinusitis can have a damaging effect.

In fact antibiotics are only necessary when you have an acute bacterial sinusitis infection. However, many mild infections do get better within a week or so on their own and antibiotics may speed up recovery by just a day or two.

It is not recommended to continually take antibiotics because the body can build up resistance.

With the aforementioned, self-diagnosis is not recommended. However, there are signs of a sinus infection. If you have any of the below, it’s time make an appointment with Dr. Mariotti – a renowned sinusitis doctor.

Below you will find a few sinus infection symptoms

Sinus Discharge

When you have a sinus infection you’ll notice a greenish-yellow discharge from your nose. This comes from your infected sinuses and drains into your nasal passages. Sometimes this discharge from the nose can flow down your throat causing a tickle or an itch down the back of your throat. This is called postnasal drip.

Cough

As the discharge from your sinuses drains down the back of your throat, it can cause plenty of irritation, especially over a long period of time. This can lead to a persistent and annoying cough.

Take note: A sinus cough is particularly aggravating because it tends to be worse at night, making sleeping difficult.

Tip: Sitting upright to sleep can help reduce the frequency and intensity of your coughing.

Pain

You have several different sinuses above and below your eyes, and behind your nose and any of these can hurt when you have a sinus infection. Inflammation and swelling in the sinuses causes them to ache with a dull pressure. You may feel pain in your forehead, on either side of your nose, in your upper jaws and teeth, or between your eyes.

Congestion

Your inflamed sinuses may also be restricting how well you can breathe through your nose. The infection causes swelling in your sinuses and in your nasal passages.

Take note: A sinus cough is particularly aggravating because it tends to be worse at night, making sleeping difficult.

Tip: Sitting upright to sleep can help reduce the frequency and intensity of your coughing.

Headache

The relentless pressure and swelling in your sinuses can reverberate throughout your skull and leave you with a massive headache. The pain can also show up in places you might not expect. Sinus pain can give you earaches, toothaches, and pain in your jaws and cheeks. Sinus headaches are often at their worst in the morning because fluids have been collecting all night long.

Take note: Sinus headaches are often at their worst in the morning because fluids have been collecting all night long

Sore Throat

That postnasal drip can leave you with a raw and aching throat. If your infection lasts for a few weeks or more, the mucus can irritate and inflame your throat as it drips, resulting in a painful sore throat.

Ready to know more about your sinus infections symptoms?

Contact Dr. Mariotti at 570-714-3434

What is a Sinus Headache?

by on July 4, 2015

The term sinusitis is used to describe inflammation of the sinus (sinus + itis = inflammation). As a leading sinus headache doctor in Kingston, Pennsylvania, Dr. Mariotti knows how to identify a sinus headache because pain in the sinus area does not automatically mean that you have a sinus disorder.

On the other hand, sinus and nasal passages can become inflamed leading to a headache. Headache is one of the key symptoms of patients diagnosed with acute or chronic sinusitis. In addition to a headache, sinusitis patients often complain of:

Pain and pressure around the eyes, across the cheeks and the forehead
Achy feeling in the upper teeth
Fever and chills
Facial swelling
Nasal stuffiness
Yellow or green discharge

However, it is important to note that there are some cases of headaches related to chronic sinusitis without other upper respiratory symptoms. This suggests that an examination for sinusitis be considered when treatment for a migraine or other headache disorder is unsuccessful.

WHAT IS A SINUS HEADACHE?

If the lining of the ducts or tubes that connect the sinuses to the back of the nose becomes inflamed, the sinuses may not be able to drain normally, and pressure may build up within the blocked sinus. There may also be associated swelling and inflammation of the lining of the sinuses, resulting in increased mucus and fluid secretion. This increase in fluid and pressure causes the pain of a sinus headache.

While a sinus inflammation (sinusitis) may be caused by a viral infection, much like a cold that causes swelling in the nose, the inflammation and decreased ability of the sinuses to drain may also be caused by an allergic reaction like hay fever

Inflammation, like anywhere else in the body, causes swelling and increased fluid production. In the sinuses, this decreases the ability of the sinuses to drain.

The increased inflammatory fluid production (just like the weeping observed with a skin injury) combines with the decrease in drainage to cause the pain and pressure of a sinus headache.

Most commonly, infectious sinusitis (sinus infection) is due to a viral infection, but bacterial and fungal infections of the sinuses can also occur. Since the maxillary sinuses are located in the cheekbone, infections of the upper teeth can spread into these sinuses. In very rare cases, benign or malignant tumors can invade and block drainage in the sinuses and lead to a sinus headache

This is why, as a top sinus headache doctor, Dr. Mariotti strongly recommends that individuals should seek medical care if you are not sure what is causing your symptoms or if you have signs of a severe infection including high fever, symptoms that do not resolve with time, or if over-the-counter pain relievers are not effective in controlling the pain.

You should also seek care if you noticed swelling in the face that accompanies the pain, swelling around your eye or changes in vision.

Learn even more about Sinus Headaches on our dedicated page.

Sources:

Entnet.org

Emedicinehealth.com

Mayo Clinic

How to avoid the triggers of Migraine Headaches

by on June 15, 2015

There is the good and the bad of genetics – migraines falling in the latter. These painful headaches afflict four out of five individuals that have a family history of migraines.

In fact, if one biological parent suffers from migraine headaches, there is a 50% chance it can be passed to a child. That number jumps to 75% if both parents suffer from migraine headaches.

However, there are ways to prevent migraines and it should be done strategically. It is recommend to keep track of what you eat & drink to prevent these headaches (actually, it’s a good idea to track your diet!)

Here are a few tips and tricks to help prevent the onset of a migraine headache attack.

Hold The Drinks

Alcohol increases blood flow to your brain. Sometimes it’s the impurities and/or by-products produced as your body metabolizes alcohol. The worst culprits: Whiskey, red wine, beer and champagne.

Temperature Control

Don’t get too overheated from exercise (water helps with this) or be out in extremely hot temperatures. Additionally, cold foods like ice cream can be triggers.

Get Rest

Research shows that adults who get fewer than seven hours of sleep — whether for just one night or over the course of days, weeks, or months — have more difficulty concentrating and more mood problems. A lack of sleep is also a culprit for triggering migraine headaches.

Know Your Diet

With so many healthy choices on the market today, a robust diet to prevent migraine attacks is very attainable.

Stay away from this list:

Aged Cheeses such as: blue cheese, mozzarella, feta, cheddar and parmesan. They contain Tyramine – a substance known to trigger migraines.

Processed meats such as ham, sausage and bologna. They have food additives such as nitrates that can trigger migraines.

MSG – be careful with your next Chinese meal!

Potato chips.

Pizza.

Peanuts.

Dried Fruits.

Lastly, and you may not like this at 7am, but too much coffee can trigger a headache.

Before you diagnose yourself, we recommend an office visit.

Self diagnosis can be problematic if there is an underlying factor that is the real culprit of these headaches.