Sinus infection bacterial or virus

While you do have to wait for a virus to clear up on its own, there are some things you can do to make yourself more comfortable in the meantime. Your surgeon might recommend using a saline rinse in your nostrils to help clear away mucus and debris. A pain reliever can also help lower a fever. Medicine is available to treat a bacterial sinus infection. If your surgeon determines that bacteria is the source of your infection, he might prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria and speed up healing.

In fact, they might make things worse. They can also lead to antibiotic resistance, making future bacterial infections more difficult to treat. Diagnosing the infection can involve imaging to examine the sinuses and a mucus culture. Taking a sample of mucus from the nose or sinuses will help your surgeon determine if a bacteria is to blame and, if so, what type of bacteria is responsible.

Side effects can range from minor issues, like a rash, to very serious health problems, such as antibiotic-resistant infections and C. However, in some cases, antibiotics are needed. Talk to your doctor about the best treatment for your illness. For some sinus infections, your doctor might recommend watchful waiting or delayed antibiotic prescribing. Transcript txt icon [TXT — B]. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about over-the-counter medicines that can help you feel better.

Always use over-the-counter medicines as directed. Be careful about giving over-the-counter medicines to children. Not all over-the-counter medicines are recommended for children of certain ages. If you are considering using a sinus rinse, visit Sinus Rinsing for Health or Religious Practice for how to do so safely. You can help prevent sinus infections by doing your best to stay healthy and keep others healthy, including:. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

Antibiotic Prescribing and Use. Section Navigation. The bacterial growth usually occurs after day duration of the common cold. Doctors are not able to differentiate between viral or bacterial sinusitis since the diagnosis for both of them is to check the symptoms like nasal congestion, headache, cough, thick post-nasal or nasal drainage, etc.

In some cases, the help of other diagnostic tests like cultures or CT scans computed tomography scans is taken to reach a definitive diagnosis. As per the guidelines, a sinus infection is more likely to be bacterial than viral if any of the following conditions are present. Taking rest and consuming plenty of fluids are highly effective natural remedies for a sinus infection and need to be used in case of both viral and bacterial sinus infections.

Antibiotics can be required for treating a bacterial sinus infectionas they can fight the bacteria that have grown inside the sinuses. Antibiotics should be prescribed for adults for preventing serious complications or speeding up the recovery process only if the diagnosis confirms that the patient is suffering from an acute bacterial sinus infection. Antibiotic treatment becomes necessary for adults if the following symptoms are observed. Antibiotic treatment for adolescents and children is only recommended in the following situations by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

It is best to consult your doctor and get yourself properly diagnosed if you think that you are suffering from bacterial sinusitis. People experiencing chronic sinusitis should consult a nasal and sinus specialist to evaluate their condition. People experiencing sinus infections that come back after a few days need to visit a specialist and consider alternative treatments to cure their condition permanently.

Copyright WWW. Last Updated 13 January, Bacterial Sinus Infection. Viral vs. Bacterial Sinus Infection Viral Sinus Infection Aside from causing common cold, viruses can cause inflammation in the sinuses. Bacterial Sinus Infection Bacterial sinus infection or bacterial sinusitis occurs when drainage of the fluid collected within the sinuses is hampered somehow.