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Health care providers distinguish bacterial and viral sinusitis by watchful waiting. [1] If a person has had sinusitis for fewer than 10 days without the symptoms becoming worse, then the infection is presumed to be viral. [1] When symptoms last more than 10 days or get worse in that time, then the infection is considered bacterial sinusitis. [65]
A sinus infection typically starts out with a viral infection (RSV or rhinovirus, for example), which can cause sneezing, coughing, a runny nose, aches, and a fever, says Goudy.
Acute sinusitis lasts a maximum of 12 weeks. The clinical symptoms of acute rhinosinusitis are purulent nasal secretion, nasal obstruction and/or tension headache or feeling of fullness in the facial area. Acute rhinosinusitis can be caused by a viral or bacterial infection – a distinction is not possible during the first days.
[9] [10] Common symptoms include fever, sore throat, red tonsils, and enlarged lymph nodes in the front of the neck. A headache and nausea or vomiting may also occur. [11] Some develop a sandpaper-like rash which is known as scarlet fever. [2] Symptoms typically begin one to three days after exposure and last seven to ten days. [2] [3] [11]
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[5]: 28 Most infections are viral in nature, and in other instances, the cause is bacterial. [6] URTIs can also be fungal or helminthic in origin, but these are less common. [7]: 443–445 In 2015, 17.2 billion cases of URTIs are estimated to have occurred. [1] As of 2016, they caused about 3,000 deaths, down from 4,000 in 1990. [8]
Symptoms include common problems such as head aches, fevers, and nausea, but the more telling signs that a bacterial infection may have reached the brain are sensitivity to light, seizures, having limited range in neck movement, and easy bruising all over the body.
The symptoms are mostly due to the body's immune response to the infection rather than to tissue destruction by the viruses themselves. [15] The symptoms of influenza are similar to those of a cold, although usually more severe and less likely to include a runny nose. [6] [16] There is no vaccine for the common cold. [3]