Sinus
Infections-
Diagnosis and Treatment
The
most common
patient problem
I deal with
on a daily basis
are patients
that believe
they have a
sinus infection.
While this can
often be the
fact, I often
discover that
after evaluating
their history
they ultimately
do not have
a problem with
their sinuses
but have nasal
obstruction issues (ongoing
problems breathing
through their
nose). Patients
come to see
me after having
been treated
for months and
years with multiple
courses of antibiotics
only to see
their symptoms
reoccur and
are at a loss
as to why.
What
does sinus treatment
include?
Initially I
review a patient’s
symptoms, take
a detailed medical
history and
do a nasal exam.
I often also
do a sinus x-ray.
A sinus x-ray
is the only
way to definitively
assess a patient’s
sinus status.
Patients that
have sinus infection symptoms but
totally normal
sinus x-rays
often do not
have a sinusitis
but have nasal
obstruction
problems. In
the event there
is a current
sinus infection
I prescribe
a course of
sinus specific
antibiotics
and decongestants.
Sinus infections
can be very
difficult to
cure and I carefully
follow up with
my patients
to make sure
there has been
total resolution
of their symptoms.
Do you have
a sinus infection
or a nasal obstruction
problem?
True
sinus infections
and nasal obstruction
problems can
be difficult
for a patient
to diagnose
on their own
and you can
indeed have
both of these
problems at
the same time.
The most common
patient complaint
I hear from
those people
who are diagnosed
with sinus infections
are cold symptoms
that don’t
go away.
Please consult
the boxes below
to see if you
could have one
or both of these
problems.
| Possible
Sinus
Infection
Symptoms
|
Nasal
Obstruction
Problem
Symptoms
|
 |
Excess
nasal
drainage |
|
Coughing
&
hoarseness
|
|
Facial
pain
&
headaches
|
|
Ear
pressure
&
fullness
|
|
Nasal
congestion
|
|
Ongoing
cold
symptoms |
|
|
Recurrent
sinus
infections |
|
Snoring
&
Sleep
Apnea
|
|
Facial
pain
&
headaches
|
|
Recurrent
ear
infections,
dizziness
|
|
Chronic,
fatigue
|
|
I have treated
patients for
both of these
conditions very
successfully.
If either of
these sound
like you please
call me for
an appointment.
|
