While different seasons can bring increased visits to hospitals due to increased pollen or cold weather, doctors see cases of sinusitis year-round. Annually, sinusitis is responsible for about 16 million visits to a family physician. Find out the symptoms and what treatments might be used at Carthage Area Hospital and its clinics.
What is Sinusitis?
Sinusitis (also known as sinus disease or a sinus infection) is when air-filled sinus cavities become blocked. Normally, the sinuses have a thin coating of mucus, but bacterial infection, fungal infection, or physical defects may cause nasal tissues to swell and excess mucus to accumulate. Early treatment of sinusitis is important to keep it from becoming serious—failure to treat it early could land a patient in the emergency room.
Symptoms of Sinusitis
Sinus infections are sometimes misdiagnosed as a bad cold, as they have many of the same symptoms. A family physician should examine the patient’s nose, throat, and sinuses while looking for characteristic redness, swelling, facial tenderness, and greenish mucus discharge. Other symptoms might include headaches in the front of the head, tooth pain, coughing, fever, tiredness, and bad breath caused by mucus in the throat.
Treatment
Most cases of sinusitis are caused by bacterial infection and should be treated with antibiotics. However, since the overuse of antibiotics is responsible for the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, this should only be prescribed if the illness is very severe or does not clear up on its own in about a week. Over-the-counter medications may help relieve symptoms while the antibiotics take effect.
If a fungal infection is verified through a mucus culture, antifungals or oral steroids may be needed. In very severe cases of physical causes for chronic sinus infections, a family physician may recommend surgery.
Come to Carthage Area Hospital
Patients who are suffering from the symptoms mentioned above should visit Carthage Area Hospital. Even if you’ve never visited one of our clinics before, we are currently accepting new patients at our Primary Care and Pediatric facilities.