Signs that your cold has turned into a sinus infection

With everyone around us sneezing and coughing, it’s officially cold and flu season. Sore throat, runny nose and congestion are the symptoms that we all know too well. We also know that the age-old dadi ke nuskhe and proper rest are good enough to shoo away the painful cold. But if chicken soup, vitamin C, all the home remedies in the world and even dadi k nuske seem to be doing no good, it’s time to check with your doctor because your cold might have turned into a sinus infection.

Sinus infection mimics cold and thus is hard to diagnose. The viral or bacterial infection of the sinus cavities (located in the cheeks, above the eyebrows, between the eyes and behind the eyes) is called sinus infection. The lining of the sinus cavities become inflamed and swollen and produces too much mucus during a sinus infection.

There are four sinuses on each side of your face and which one gets infected is determined by the symptoms you experience. If the cheek sinus is infected, you may have pain over your cheeks.

Sinus infection is caused both by virus and bacteria. So, if your sinus infection is brought on by a virus, then you can spread it to others. But spreading the virus doesn’t mean you can spread the sinus infection. Sinus infection is caused by the inflammation that builds up from a cold. So, you may spread the cold but sinus infection doesn’t always happen when someone catches a cold.

It can be difficult even for a professional to determine a sinus infection as the symptoms are much like common cold and flu. Because a sinus infection cannot be diagnosed with a lab test, we have to rely on the clinician’s judgement, it’s a confusing and tricky illness to diagnose.

If your cold and flu symptoms persist for more than a week, you must visit your doctor to check if your sinus infection. Here are some common symptoms to look out for:

If your cold has lasted longer than usual and is giving you pain in the eyes, there is a fair chance that you might have a sinus infection. As sinuses sit the area below, above and next to the eyes, so when the pressure is built in these areas, it can cause pain. Eye pain is one of the most misunderstood symptoms of sinus infection.

We all know the pain of being kept awake all night because of constant coughing. Lying down at night makes it easier for mucus to trip down the back of the throat, irritating the back of the throat and cause coughing.

We usually associate toothache with a tooth infection but in some rare cases, it can also be due to a sinus infection. Toothache is the most uncommon symptom of sinus inflammation.

Traditional sinus headache is usually on the forehead (above the eyebrows). Often when a person suffering from sinus bends down, the motion causes the mucus to pour forward, increase pressure and cause pain.

Sinus infection can cause a thick yellow and green mucus in the throat and nose. When this mucus goes down your throat, it affects your breath, making it smell unpleasant.

As we said, if you cold symptoms only seem to get worse with time, you should surely check with your doctor for sinus infection. A normal cold usually takes five to seven days to go away.

Experts say taking steam twice a day can help relieve sinus pain.