When is a cold, more than just a cold?

Sometimes you think you have a cold, but the symptoms seem to persist longer than a week and pain is felt in the sinus region. When you have a cold, the mucus may accumulate in the nasal passage and become infected with bacteria or any other inhalant.

Your mucus membrane produces enormous amounts of mucus per day. When infected, mucus causes blockage of the ostium (small tubes that function to facilitate the free flow of air and mucus between the air passages and the sinuses) and swelling of the mucus membranes, producing acute sinusitis. Symptoms of your cold begin to worsen and persist for weeks.

What will happen if you don't treat the cold?

If a cold remain untreated, the excessive mucus that your mucous membrane produces may drip down the back of your throat or collect in your sinus cavities, producing a sinus infection. If medical attention is still not given to this condition, the infection can become chronic.

Symptoms of a cold are too similar to those of acute sinusitis and people often confuse the two. People often think they have a cold until their symptoms worsen and that's when they decide to seek medical advice. When this infection precedes a cold and only last up to 2 or 3 weeks, it is known as acute sinusitis.

How do you know if your cold is sinus related?

Symptoms of cold-related sinusitis are characterized by pain and swellings in the sinus region. Only a qualified health practitioner may determine whether your symptoms represent acute sinusitis or a cold.

If your condition is characterized by the following conditions, your cold is sinus related:

• A cough
• A runny nose
• Nasal congestion
• Pain in the sinus region
• Mild headaches
• Post nasal drip (mucus dripping down at the back of your throat)
• Swellings around nose, eyes and cheeks
• Fever
• Reduced sense of smell
• Sore throat resulting from post nasal drip
• Fatigue

Where will I experience pain?

When your cold symptoms typify a sinusitis attack, you will experience pain and swellings in the following regions:

• On one or both sides of your nose (Maxillary and Ethmoid sinuses)
• In the throat (Sore throats)
• Itchiness in the nose
• Headaches