A reaction to exposure to inhalants like dust, pollen, smoke, and animal dander causes allergic sinusitis familiar in early childhood. In addition, allergic sinusitis predisposes some people to sensitivity to certain foods besides indoor and outdoor allergens. Family history is also responsible for allergic sinusitis.
Although you are not born with allergies, you can develop symptoms when you are repeatedly exposed to the allergens. For example, you can be affected by acute sinusitis lasting fewer than four weeks or chronic sinusitis staying for more than eight weeks requiring allergic sinusitis treatment.
The Symptoms of Allergic Sinusitis
Allergic sinusitis symptoms are sometimes confused with nonallergic sinusitis because they are similar. However, nonallergic sinusitis does not cause an itchy nose, throat, or eyes. The symptoms of allergic sinusitis vary according to season and may include:
- Sneezing and runny nose indicating nasal congestion and postnasal drip persisting for over two weeks.
- Itchy eyes, nose, and throat.
- Headache, tenderness, pain, and pressure around the forehead, cheeks, between the eyes, and nose.
- Behavioral changes including irritability, lack of focus, and tiredness.
- Problems with sleep including insomnia, sleepwalking, and bedwetting.
- Reduced sense of taste and smell.
If you compare sinus allergy symptoms vs. Covid, you will likely find the reduced sense of taste and smell similar to Covid, thinking you need to visit the ER near you to get yourself evaluated. At the same time, your thinking is possible because the Covid-19 pandemic is creating havoc in America and globally; there is no reason for you to fear sinus allergy symptoms being similar to Covid. However, if you are feeling uncomfortable, there is no reason why you cannot seek treatment for allergic sinusitis from emergency room 76504.
Diagnosing Allergic Sinusitis
When you visit the emergency room near you for a diagnosis, the physicians at the facility start by taking a detailed medical history and perform a physical examination. Skin allergy tests sometimes help identify the allergen causing the nasal flareup.
Emergency care temple performs a nasal endoscopy inserting a flexible tube inside the nasal passages. The fiber optic light enables the physician to see the tiniest abnormalities in the sinuses. A CT scan of the sinus also helps the physician assess injuries, infections, or other abnormalities.
The Treatment for Allergic Sinusitis
Emergency Room Temple recommends avoidance as the best course of action for mild seasonal allergens and allergies such as pet dander. Unfortunately, avoiding all allergens throughout the year is practically impossible, and specific triggers are unavoidable.
Some pharmaceutical remedies and self-help techniques recommended are:
- Saline nasal sprays rinsing your nasal passages for relief.
- Nasal congestion is reduced by inhaling steam.
- You can also find relief from over-the-counter decongestants are available from drugstores.
- Corticosteroid nasal sprays help reduce inflammation.
- De sensitization via allergy shots can benefit children with allergies sensitive to pollen.
- Over-the-counter pain relievers can also provide relief, but care is required to ensure children don’t receive aspirin.
- You may require antibiotics if you have severe bacterial infections.
If you cannot find relief with prescription medicines and self-help and the allergy sinusitis symptoms interfere with your quality of life, chronic allergic sinusitis is treated with:
Balloon Sinuplasty: the procedure is similar to balloon angioplasty helping to break up blood clots in the arteries of the heart. Balloon sinuplasty uses small balloons to enlarge the openings of the sinuses. Balloon sinuplasty isn’t as invasive as traditional surgery to restore normal sinus drainage, and the benefits include less pain, bleeding, swelling, and downtime.
Surgery: sinus surgery is another option when treatment or medication isn’t practical. In such cases, endoscopic sinus surgery is performed by inserting a flexible tube into the nasal passages allowing the physician to view the tiniest of abnormalities in the sinuses besides problem tissues or polyps responsible for the nasal blockage enabling the physician to remove them.
Allergic sinusitis is undoubtedly a problem that affects your quality of life, affecting you with various symptoms, with one of them having similarity to Covid-19 symptoms. Currently, the symptoms will likely cause anxiety in you, causing you to believe the itchy sinuses or Covid symptoms need evaluation by your healthcare provider. However, if you spend time learning about the symptoms of allergic sinusitis and adopt the measures recommended for avoiding the Covid-19 pandemic, rest assured you merely need treatment for the condition affecting you and not what you think.