Treatments
Because about half of acute sinus infections eventually clear up on their own, your doctor may want to take a wait-and-see approach for a few days before prescribing an antibiotic. During this time, there are a number of self-help measures--from inhaling steam to simply reducing stress-you can try at home.
And while bacterial sinusitis can make you feel temporarily miserable, complications are rare. However, if you develop swelling around an eye, impaired vision, a high fever or a change in mental status, it's a sign that the infection has spread and you should go to a hospital immediately.
Treating chronic sinusitis is more complex because of all the potential underlying causes. Here, antibiotics and aggressive self-help measures are usually tried first although they won't work if a polyp is causing your problem. If your sinusitis condition persists, you'll probably be referred to an ear, nose and throat specialsit (otolarynologist).
Lifestyle changes
You can do many things on your own to thin mucus and unclog your blocked sinus passages. Perhaps the easiest method is steam inhalation. Simply boil some water, pour it into the basin and add a teaspoon of Vicks VapoRub. Then place a towel over your head and the water and slowly inhale the steam for 10 minutes twice a day, in the morning and at night. Have tissues handy to blow your nose but don't to vigorously--this can force infected mucus deeper into your sinuses.
Another method that loosens mucus and reduces swelling in the nasal passages is sinus irrigation with a saline solution. You can do the irrigation using an ear-bulb syringe or a more unusual device called a neti pot available at health-food stores or from yoga centers (see on shortly). You should irrigate your sinuses at least three times a day for acute sinusitis and once or twice a day for a
milder case of the condition.
IT COULD BE FUNGI
Until recently, micro-organisms called fungi were thought to be the cause of only a small percentage of chronic sinusitis cases. But a 1999 study by Mayo Clinic researchers found fungi in the mucus
of 202 of the 210 people studied. (Aspergillis is the fungus that is most commonly identified with chronic sinusitis.)
Interestingly, further study found that nearly the same percentage of the general population has fungal growths in their sinusitis as well. The difference is that in patients with chronic sinusitis, an immune system attack on the fungus causes the nasal passages to become inflamed and congestion to occur.
How best to clear up fungal sinusitis is under debate. Doctors are investigating two possible options: treatment to get rid of the fungus and treatment to prevent the immune system from attacking the fungus. In the meantime, sinus irrigation with oral or topical antifungals has proved to be successful for some. For others, sinus surgery may be required to clear away any dead and infected tissue.
It's also important to drink plenty of clear liquids--8 to 10 glasses a day--to keep the nasal discharge thin. Very warm beverages can be quite soothing and in addition, the steam from a cup of hot tea or chicken broth will temporarily open up your nasal passages, which should bring some relief.
Even though you might not feel like working out when you have sinusitis, it's been show that exercise can stimulate the flow of mucus and boost the production of infection-fighting white blood cells. So take a brisk walk, go for a bike ride or choose any other aerobic activity that you like. But don't do exercises (like toe-touches) where you lower your head--this will only increase sinus pressure. And if exercise makes your congestion worse, stop.
Medications
For acute bacterial sinusitis, there are a variety of antibiotics that work quite well. The drug your doctor initially prescribes will probably depend on which strain of bacteria is the common culprit in your geographical area. (Because reports from local hospitals provide this information, your mucus won't need to be tested.) Amoxycillin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic with a proven track record in treating this infection, is the first choice of most doctors unless you have an allergy to penicillin. Other effective antibiotics include amoxycillin/clavulante (Augmentin), doxycycline (Doryx) and cefaclor (Ceclor). In complicated or severe cases of sinusitis, intravenous antibiotics may be necessary.
Generally, to be effective, an antibiotic must be taken for at least 10 days and some doctors even prescribe a full two weeks to reduce the risk of relapse. You'll probably start to feel better afterjust four days--and the infected yellow mucus will begin to clear up--but don't stop the drug. If you do, the infection won't be wiped out and you could end up with chronic sinusitits. If your symptoms don't start to disappear after four or five days, call your doctor. Most doctors are now prescribing a corticosteroid nasal spray along with antibiotics to reduce swelling in the nasal passages.
>I've never had sinusitis before. Am I going to get a lot of these infections in the future?Probably not. Most attacks of acute sinusitis are really just complications of an especially bad cold, in which thickened mucus in the sinuses becomes infected by bacteria. Once antibiotics have cleared up your infection, there shouldn't be a problem with recurrence.
>My doctor prescribed antibiotics for three weeks. Why do I have to take them for so long?Your sinuses are like caves within your skull. As such, they receive a relatively small supply of blood (as compared with your lungs or kidneys.) Since the antibiotics are carried to the infected sinuses through your blood stream, you need to be on these drugs for at least 10 to 14 days in order for the medication to have its full effect.
>If the infection is in my sinuses, why am I coughing so much, especially during the night?
when you lie fat, your sinuses start to drain down the back of your throat. Even though it's only a very small amount of mucus, it can cause a truly agonising tickle that makes you cough. Before going to bed, take some enough syrup containing dextromethorphan (DM) or codeine and you may sleep better. Or elevate the head of your bed by 45 degrees (use bricks or fat books under the legs) to promote sinus drainage. If only one side of your head is involved, sleep on your side, with the congested side up.
Because about half of acute sinus infections eventually clear up on their own, your doctor may want to take a wait-and-see approach for a few days before prescribing an antibiotic. During this time, there are a number of self-help measures--from inhaling steam to simply reducing stress-you can try at home.
And while bacterial sinusitis can make you feel temporarily miserable, complications are rare. However, if you develop swelling around an eye, impaired vision, a high fever or a change in mental status, it's a sign that the infection has spread and you should go to a hospital immediately.
Treating chronic sinusitis is more complex because of all the potential underlying causes. Here, antibiotics and aggressive self-help measures are usually tried first although they won't work if a polyp is causing your problem. If your sinusitis condition persists, you'll probably be referred to an ear, nose and throat specialsit (otolarynologist).
Lifestyle changes
You can do many things on your own to thin mucus and unclog your blocked sinus passages. Perhaps the easiest method is steam inhalation. Simply boil some water, pour it into the basin and add a teaspoon of Vicks VapoRub. Then place a towel over your head and the water and slowly inhale the steam for 10 minutes twice a day, in the morning and at night. Have tissues handy to blow your nose but don't to vigorously--this can force infected mucus deeper into your sinuses.
Another method that loosens mucus and reduces swelling in the nasal passages is sinus irrigation with a saline solution. You can do the irrigation using an ear-bulb syringe or a more unusual device called a neti pot available at health-food stores or from yoga centers (see on shortly). You should irrigate your sinuses at least three times a day for acute sinusitis and once or twice a day for a
milder case of the condition.
IT COULD BE FUNGI
Until recently, micro-organisms called fungi were thought to be the cause of only a small percentage of chronic sinusitis cases. But a 1999 study by Mayo Clinic researchers found fungi in the mucus
of 202 of the 210 people studied. (Aspergillis is the fungus that is most commonly identified with chronic sinusitis.)
Interestingly, further study found that nearly the same percentage of the general population has fungal growths in their sinusitis as well. The difference is that in patients with chronic sinusitis, an immune system attack on the fungus causes the nasal passages to become inflamed and congestion to occur.
How best to clear up fungal sinusitis is under debate. Doctors are investigating two possible options: treatment to get rid of the fungus and treatment to prevent the immune system from attacking the fungus. In the meantime, sinus irrigation with oral or topical antifungals has proved to be successful for some. For others, sinus surgery may be required to clear away any dead and infected tissue.
It's also important to drink plenty of clear liquids--8 to 10 glasses a day--to keep the nasal discharge thin. Very warm beverages can be quite soothing and in addition, the steam from a cup of hot tea or chicken broth will temporarily open up your nasal passages, which should bring some relief.
Even though you might not feel like working out when you have sinusitis, it's been show that exercise can stimulate the flow of mucus and boost the production of infection-fighting white blood cells. So take a brisk walk, go for a bike ride or choose any other aerobic activity that you like. But don't do exercises (like toe-touches) where you lower your head--this will only increase sinus pressure. And if exercise makes your congestion worse, stop.
Medications
For acute bacterial sinusitis, there are a variety of antibiotics that work quite well. The drug your doctor initially prescribes will probably depend on which strain of bacteria is the common culprit in your geographical area. (Because reports from local hospitals provide this information, your mucus won't need to be tested.) Amoxycillin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic with a proven track record in treating this infection, is the first choice of most doctors unless you have an allergy to penicillin. Other effective antibiotics include amoxycillin/clavulante (Augmentin), doxycycline (Doryx) and cefaclor (Ceclor). In complicated or severe cases of sinusitis, intravenous antibiotics may be necessary.
Generally, to be effective, an antibiotic must be taken for at least 10 days and some doctors even prescribe a full two weeks to reduce the risk of relapse. You'll probably start to feel better afterjust four days--and the infected yellow mucus will begin to clear up--but don't stop the drug. If you do, the infection won't be wiped out and you could end up with chronic sinusitits. If your symptoms don't start to disappear after four or five days, call your doctor. Most doctors are now prescribing a corticosteroid nasal spray along with antibiotics to reduce swelling in the nasal passages.
>I've never had sinusitis before. Am I going to get a lot of these infections in the future?Probably not. Most attacks of acute sinusitis are really just complications of an especially bad cold, in which thickened mucus in the sinuses becomes infected by bacteria. Once antibiotics have cleared up your infection, there shouldn't be a problem with recurrence.
>My doctor prescribed antibiotics for three weeks. Why do I have to take them for so long?Your sinuses are like caves within your skull. As such, they receive a relatively small supply of blood (as compared with your lungs or kidneys.) Since the antibiotics are carried to the infected sinuses through your blood stream, you need to be on these drugs for at least 10 to 14 days in order for the medication to have its full effect.
>If the infection is in my sinuses, why am I coughing so much, especially during the night?
when you lie fat, your sinuses start to drain down the back of your throat. Even though it's only a very small amount of mucus, it can cause a truly agonising tickle that makes you cough. Before going to bed, take some enough syrup containing dextromethorphan (DM) or codeine and you may sleep better. Or elevate the head of your bed by 45 degrees (use bricks or fat books under the legs) to promote sinus drainage. If only one side of your head is involved, sleep on your side, with the congested side up.
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