What is the difference between Cold and Sinus Infection?

A cold is a common ailment that typically affects many people during the cold and flu season every year. Colds can vary from mild to moderate to severe. You may have symptoms for a matter of a few days up to several weeks. The best remedy for the ordinary cold is hot chicken noodle soup and rest. Some medications can reduce the symptoms, but no specific anti-biotic can eradicate a cold. Colds are also highly contagious. It is essential not to be in the presence of others while you are recovering.

On the other hand, a sinus infection causes inflammation of the sinuses from bacterial infection, though it can be produced by a virus or fungus. You can even develop a sinus infection after having a cold. A cold can cause the lining of your sinuses to become swollen, which makes it challenging you to get a clear breath because the sinuses cannot correctly drain, and can lead to mucous becoming entrapped in the sinus cavity, which can incite an environment for bacteria to breed. Some of the symptoms of both a cold and a sinus infection include congestion, runny nose, headache, and persistent cough.

A sinus infection is worse than the typical cold, and you may experience a fever, headache, and postnasal drip that is greenish-yellow in color. The illness is most likely due to a bacterial infection. A cold, on the other hand, is an infection somewhere in the respiratory area.

It usually for most people happens in late fall and throughout winter- time when it is freezing outside. You may experience a persistent cough fever and even muscle discomfort. With a sinus infection, if there is a second bacterial infection, pneumonia may occur.

Both of these illnesses may present with similar symptoms; it all depends upon the severity and stage of the illness. Generally, the fever in sinus infection is worse, and the nasal discharge is worse in the cold.

Sinus infection and cold are different words with related meanings. Sinus is the air-filled sacs behind the nose; it gets infected when your nasal passage is infected. The main difference between a sinus infection and cold is how long they linger.

Cold is an infection caused by a virus. Cold can lead to sinus infection. Sinus infection can be treated while cold cannot be treated. The Symptoms of cold are also the basic symptoms of the sinus virus. These symptoms include runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing.

When all these last longers, it shows other symptoms such as a reduced sense of smell, a fever that persists, pressure or pain between or around the eyes, persistent bad breath, pain in the teeth and nasal congestion, and discolored discharge.

How will you know if you are experiencing a cold or if you have a sinus infection? You know that a cold is usually caused by a virus. There are a lot of people who have colds which will be able to recover after a few days. Some of them may not even feel too bad to begin with.

A sinus infection would feel like a cold, but you may notice that the sides of your nose may start to swell up because your sinuses are inflamed. When you have a cold, your sinuses may not necessarily be that inflamed, but you will experience other symptoms that will make you feel that you are not 100% okay.