Common Cold or Something Else?

The common cold is indeed well-named.  Rhinovirus and its cousins leave millions of Americans feeling wheezy, fatigued, and congested every year, leading to billions in lost revenue.  It is not uncommon for adults to come down with some sort of cold up to four times a year.

But how do you know the culprit isn’t something more serious, such as a sinus infection?  The easiest way is with duration: colds rarely last longer than a week, so any symptoms that fail to resolve after about ten days could be a sign of a bacterial infection.

Much of the confusion surrounding colds and sinus infections occurs because the common cold can be a harbinger of a coming infection, as irritated membrane walls can seal off sinuses and prevent drainage.  Pressure builds and your discomfort begins to worsen, and it doesn’t take long for most people to suspect that a bacterial population may have taken hold.

At the Los Angeles Sinus Institute, we are often tasked with relieving the symptoms of persistent sinus infections.  If you tend to suffer from such infections often, it could be that your sinuses are structured in a way that leads to an abnormal frequency of sinusitis.  Endoscopic sinus surgery can help to cure this problem for good, correcting the shape of your sinuses to facilitate better drainage in the future.

Please call my offices today to learn more about a permanent solution for sinus infection.

Tags: common cold, los angeles ent, sinus infection, sinusitis