Practical Prevention: Curse of Spring
Better allergy-control treatment can help forestall sinus infections.Each spring when pollen counts soar, allergy symptoms blast off into the stratosphere. Common signs include a runny nose, itchy throat, sneezing, nasal congestion, teary eyes and sometimes a sinus infection. Wait a second — a sinus infection?
That's right. Unfortunately, sinus infections frequently afflict people who already have more than enough trouble from allergies.
Here's how the unease of allergies may set you up for a sinus infection and what you can do about it.
HAY FEVER — SINUSITIS LINK
About 35 million Americans have allergic rhinitis, or hay fever. And another 31 million people in this country suffer from a sinus infection every year. Although people with the one are not always the same as people with the other, sometimes they are. What is the connection?
In both children and adults, studies have detailed an association between nasal allergies and sinus infections.
Acute sinusitis. This starts abruptly like a typical cold and may start to get better, but then gets worse, or lingers beyond 10 days in the sinuses. Pain in the face and teeth, fever and a thick, greenish nasal discharge are typical.
Studies indicate that about half of all children with allergies have problems with acute sinus infections. Likewise, about 25 percent of adults with an acute sinus infection have allergies. Adults and kids with year-round allergies to mold and dust mites are especially prone to repeated acute infections of their sinuses.
Chronic sinusitis. In this condition, nasal congestion and drainage, postnasal drip, cough and fatigue start gradually and last longer than 30 days.
Several studies have shown that up to 67 percent of adults with chronic sinus infections also have allergies. And, in one study, 37 percent of children with chronic sinusitis turned up positive for allergies on skin testing.
ALLERGY TREATMENT BENEFICIAL
Sinus infections are no joke. The discomfort they create contributes to learning difficulties at school, loss of productivity at work and reduced quality of life. In fact, sinus infections are one of the most frequent reasons for people to call their doctors.
The good news is that treatment of allergies can help reduce recurrent episodes of acute sinusitis. Studies also suggest that better hay fever management may help resolve symptoms in patients with both allergies and chronic sinusitis.
Consult your doctor if you have allergies, sinus problems, or both. Curbing allergy symptoms may help you avoid or minimize sinus infections.
Here are some of the remedies that are available to help bring your allergies under control:
Record your symptoms in a diary, then try to avoid allergy triggers that you identify. For indoor allergies, this may mean washing sheets weekly in hot water and keeping carpets and pets out of the bedroom. For outdoor allergies, staying indoors when pollen levels are highest between 5 to 10 a.m. can ease symptoms.
Available in over-the-counter and prescription forms, this mainstay of treatment for hay fever helps relieve nasal itching, runny nose and sneezing. Ask your pharmacist about less sedating brands.
These sprays are the most potent drugs available for treating moderate to severe symptoms, including stuffiness.
Getting weekly or monthly injections for several years often helps curtail allergy symptoms, studies indicate. Allergy sufferers who should consider consulting a doctor about the shots include those who fail to get relief from drugs as well as children and anyone with a family history of hay fever.
For information: American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, www.aaaai.org.
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Contact Dr. Elizabeth Smoots, a board-certified family physician and Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, at firstname.lastname@example.org. Her columns are not intended as a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Before adhering to any recommendations in this column consult your health care provider.
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