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Can Allergies Cause Bacterial Infections

Diagnosis And Testing For Sinusitis

Understanding Bacterial Vaginosis

There are various tests that can and should be performed to confirm a diagnosis, determine the level of infection and check for other more serious issues.

A physical examination is completed, which includes a full head and neck examination so that more serious issues can be excluded. Swollen lymph nodes may occur in the neck if an infection is present, which is no different than the swelling of lymph nodes that accompanies an acute sore throat or ear infection .

Sinus palpation is used to determine the level of tenderness or swelling. When pain is experienced caused by the palpation, in the frontal or maxillary sinuses, it will be taken into consideration. A doctor may also use transillumination to look at the frontal and maxillary sinuses, though this is not always the most effective test.

The oral cavity and oropharynx is examined to evaluate the palate and condition of dentition, as well as looking for evidence of postnasal drip.

Anterior rhinoscopy, conducted with a nasal speculum, is used to examine the condition of the mucus membranes to look for evidence of purulent drainage or to look for signs of polyps or other masses. This examination is carried out with the use of a nasal decongestant, with treatments both before and after.

An ear examination may be carried out to inspect for possible middle ear fluid. This could be a sign of a mass or growth in the nasopharynx .

  • Conjunctival congestion
  • Lacrimation
  • Proptosis and visual disturbances

Are There Different Treatments For Allergies Vs A Sinus Infection

Yes, the treatments for allergies are different from a sinus infection, but its easy to confuse the two illnesses because the symptoms they cause are so similar. For example:

Allergies
Unable to blow your nose X

Patients will often say they have terrible sinus infections, and sometimes they may underplay or not fully realize the role that the allergies are playing in their sinus complaints. Determining the underlying cause of these symptoms is important because if you have allergies and theyre treated with an antibiotic, it wont solve the underlying issues causing all of your symptoms.

If you have severe stuffiness related to either allergies or a sinus infection, the symptoms can be lessened with an over-the-counter or prescription decongestant. Common allergy treatments can also include antihistamines that block the immune system response.

However, allergy medications will not eliminate the sinus infection. The first step is to understand whether the sinus infection is viral or bacterial. If your doctor believes the sinus infection is viral, you should:

  • Drink clear fluids such as broth or water
  • Rest as much as possible
  • Take over-the-counter or prescription medicines to alleviate symptoms
  • Use a saline spray to rehydrate your nasal passages

Allergic Diseases And Gut Microbiota

In 2017, biologist Erik Wambre and immunologist William Kwok were the first to discover that T helper type 2 cells are specific cells that trigger allergic reactions, and this result was confirmed by a Japanese research team in February 2018 by demonstrating a link between T helper type 2 cells and allergen sensitization in allergic rhinitis . Although research on the use of specific immune molecules to prevent allergic diseases has been carried out for more than two decades, no effective strategies have been established . The application of genome-wide association analysis has led to the discovery of dozens of genes involved in the occurrence of allergic diseases . Among the genes, mutations in the filaggrin gene is the most profound single gene isolated that greatly increases the risk of contact allergy, allergic rhinitis, and peanut allergy . However, genetic abnormalities do not necessarily result in phenotype differentiation, thus reducing the ability to accurately predict diseases. Other studies have shown that a defect of respiratory epithelial tissue will increase the probability of allergic diseases via promoting the penetration of allergens, which in turn leads to Th2-mediated inflammatory reactions . However, there is still no comprehensive theory that can fully explain the underlying mechanism of the onset and progression of allergic diseases.

Recommended Reading: Do Lymph Nodes Swell With Allergies

How Can Allergy Symptoms Be Treated By A Doctor

Allergists, like Dr. Kevin Farnam, MD, are medical doctors who specialize in the treatment of allergies and asthma. These specially trained clinicians can treat your stubborn allergy symptoms by first, diagnosing, and then prescribing medications that can help.

Many mild allergy cases can be treated without seeing a doctor. When allergies interfere with your day-to-day activities, you can take back control of your life by seeing an allergist.

An allergist can treat all kinds of allergy problems including:

  • Allergic rhinitis or hay fever is a reaction that occurs primarily from environmental allergens
  • Anaphylaxis is rare and a potentially fatal allergic reaction caused by triggers such as food, a medication, or an insect sting
  • Asthma is an allergy symptom that causes muscle spasms in a persons breathing airway that blocks air to the lungs
  • Atopic or contact dermatitis are allergies that cause hives or dermatitis on the skin

Visiting an allergist could include:

  • A complete history and physical exam
  • Allergy testing to see what is causing your symptoms
  • Education to help prevent allergies by avoiding them
  • Medication to treat symptoms
  • Allergy shots to alleviate symptoms

You should see an allergist if your allergies are causing chronic sinus infections, difficulty breathing, or the discomfort of sneezing, wheezing, or other symptoms that disrupt your life.

What Exactly Is The Difference Between A Cold Sinus Infection And Allergies

Strep throat is a bacterial infection that can cause sore and scratchy ...

While they have similar symptoms, these conditions have different root causes:

  • Cold: A common viral infection that affects your nose and throat. Keep in mind that COVID-19 can have similar symptoms.
  • Sinus Infection: Inflammation of the nasal passages caused by bacteria.
  • Allergies: Inflammation of the nasal passages caused by exposure to pollen or other allergens.

Also Check: Can Corn Allergy Cause Eczema

Food Allergy And Gut Microbiota

Food allergy is a pathological immune reaction triggered by certain food proteins. It manifests in a range of disorders within GI tract or/and skins, which could give rise to the most dramatic or even fatal anaphylactic reactions . Extensive data has suggested that the incidence of food allergies is increasing at an alarming rate in the last 3 decades and it occurred more often in children than adults . Although food allergies are heterogeneous, a short list of foods could encompass the majority of all allergenic foods, namely peanut, wheat, soy, nuts, fish, cow milk, shellfish, eggs, and seeds . Among them, peanut is the most common cause of allergy attack and death . In young kids and babies, cow milk and eggs are the most frequently reported food allergens, with egg allergy prevailing in Asia and Australia, and milk allergy in the US and Middle East . Allergies to eggs, soy beans, wheat, and cow milk are often outgrown, whereas peanuts, seeds, seafood, and tree nuts allergies tend to persist into adulthood . Food allergy is common and pricy. It is estimated that food allergy has affected up to 10% of the population in the developed world and 68% of children under 5 years old, which results in costs nearly $4,184 per child on average annually . The mainstream for the treatment of food allergy is to avoid food allergens strictly whilst the benefit of immunotherapy for food allergy is still ambiguous, hence the procedure is not recommended yet .

When It Comes And When It Goes

If you have allergies, you’ll start feeling symptoms soon after you come into contact with the stuff you’re allergic to. Your symptoms keep up as long as you’re still surrounded by those triggers.

Allergies can happen any time of year. They may be “seasonal,” which means you get them only in the spring or fall. Or they may be year-round. For instance, you might be allergic to pets or mold, which can be a problem no matter the season.

Sinusitis usually happens after you’ve had a cold or allergies. But certain symptoms will keep going, even after your cold goes away. You’ll probably have a stuffy nose and cough for more than a week or two.

You may hear your doctor talk about two kinds of sinusitis: “acute” and “chronic.” There’s a simple way to tell them apart. If your symptoms last less than 4 weeks, it’s acute. If they go on for 3 months or longer, you have chronic sinusitis.

Recommended Reading: Can You Get Allergies Later In Life

Taking The Right Medication For The Right Illness

The best thing to do for cold or sinus symptoms during the first seven to 10 days is to treat the symptoms, not the illness. You can do this with medications such as:

  • Cough medicine
  • Pain reliever

Cold viruses dont respond to antibiotics, so taking them during the first seven days probably wont help. In fact, taking antibiotics when theyre not needed can increase your risk for being infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, or other serious antibiotic related problems.

After seven to 10 days, when the symptoms are more likely to indicate a sinus infection, it may be time to ask your doctor about antibiotics. However, sinus infections can and do sometimes go away on their own, just like colds. Ask your doctor if you need an antibiotic or if the infection is likely to go away on its own without medication.

If your symptoms point to allergies, many effective medications are available over the counter to control symptoms, such as antihistamines and nasal steroid sprays. These medications work on all sorts of allergies because they suppress the bodys reactions to allergens, rather than treating the specific allergen. Some antihistamines can cause drowsiness, however, so be cautious of that when taking them. They also do not help stuffiness or pressure symptoms, so adding a decongestant plus a pain reliever as needed can help you ride it out.

The Battle Between Good And Evil Bacteria

Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) – Viral, Bacterial and allergic conjunctivitis. Symptoms and treatment

In a study published in Current Biology, researchers at the University of Oxford showed that bacteria approach conflict in much the same way as an army, responding to a threat with a coordinated, collective retaliation.

The research team studied pairs of E. coli strains as they fought against each other. Each strain uses a specific toxin to try to overcome its competitor. A strain is immune to its own toxins, but it can kill other strains. This type of competitive interaction plays a key role in how individual bacteria establish themselves in a community, such as the human gut. By engineering the strains to have a fluorescent-green color, the authors were able to clearly follow their combat in real time.

Not all strains of bacteria fight the same way. Each approaches conflict with a different level of attack, some being hyper-aggressive and others more passive. The researchers noted that strains can detect an attack from an incoming toxin and respond quickly to warn the rest of the colony and mount a counter attack together.

Our research shows that what appear to be simple organisms can function in a very sophisticated manner, says senior author Kevin Foster. Their behavior is more complex than we have previously given them credit for. Much like social insects, such as honeybees and wasps, and social animals like birds and mammals who use alarm calls when under predation, they are capable of generating a coordinated attack.

Recommended Reading: Do Seasonal Allergies Get Worse With Age

How Can You Avoid Eye Problems

You can minimize your risks for both eye allergies and infections. Keeping windows shut and other easily implemented strategies can help you survive seasonal allergies, while an air purifier can help you cope with indoor allergies. Conjunctivitis is the most common eye infection, caused by a virus or bacteria. Either way, its easily spread.

You can minimize your risks for both eye allergies and infections. Keeping windows shut and other easily implemented strategies can help you survive seasonal allergies, while an air purifier can help you cope with indoor allergies.

Conjunctivitis is the most common eye infection, caused by a virus or bacteria. Either way, its easily spread.

Frequent hand washing is just one way to help prevent pink eye and other contagious diseases. Taking care with makeup and contact lenses also helps prevent bacterial pink eye from spreading.

Drink More Water Than Usual

Drinking water is critical when you want to avoid tonsil stones. Since tonsil stones are formed by bacteria in your throat, drinking lots of water can flush out infections and dislodge any debris and bacteria that grows around your tonsils. Water also makes your mucus runnier and thinner, which can keep it from sticking to your tonsils and throat.

Drinking plenty of water also helps your body flush toxins such as bacteria and viruses out of your body, which can help you fight tonsil stones before they form.

Water can also increase saliva production, which changes the chemistry of your mouth and introduces more oxygen, allowing you to eliminate bacteria from your throat.

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What Are The Symptoms And Signs Of Sinus Infections And Allergies

Sinus infection

There are many signs and symptoms of sinusitis and sinus infections. The following is a summary of predominant ones that may occur. Most patients have several signs and symptoms at the same time. Others may have some symptoms that are intermittent most do not have all symptoms at once. The signs and symptoms of a sinus infection or sinusitis include the following:

Allergies

Allergic rhinitis is the correct term used to describe the allergic inflammation of the nasal passages. Rhinitis means “inflammation of the nose” and is a derivative of rhino, meaning nose. Allergic rhinitis that occurs during a specific season is called “seasonal allergic rhinitis.” When it occurs throughout the year, it is called “perennial allergic rhinitis.” Rhinosinusitis is the medical term that refers to inflammation of the nasal lining as well as the lining tissues of the sinuses. This term is sometimes used because the two conditions frequently occur together.

Symptoms of allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, frequently include

  • nose, eye itching, and
  • excess tear production in the eyes.

Many people with allergies have difficulty with social and physical activities. For example, concentration is often difficult while experiencing allergic rhinitis symptoms.

Can Allergies Turn Into A Sinus Infections

Some of the main causes of #Sinus #Infection are #Cold and #Viral ...

Sinus infections can develop due to various reasons, including allergies. So yes, allergies can turn into a sinus infection. Allergies and sinus infections share some similarities, but also have specific symptoms.

It is important to understand the difference between these symptoms. You may need different treatments to manage certain forms of sinus infection. There can be a lot of confusion around sinus infections, allergies, and colds. The common cold is often mistaken as allergies and vice versa. Either way, colds, and allergies could lead to a sinus infection.

Allergies develop when your immune system overreacts to allergens. The immune system produces antibodies that identify an allergen as dangerous, even if its harmless. When in contact with an allergen, the immune system responds by attacking it. This leads to inflammation of the sinuses, airways, skin, or digestive tract.

Also Check: What To Give Toddler For Allergies

How Can You Tell The Difference Between Allergies And A Cold

This time of year, its especially tough to tell what might be causing your sore throat: Is it allergies, a cold, or the flu? And as the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to spread, its more difficult than everone of its symptoms is a scratchy throat. Both allergies and viral infections can cause symptoms like a sore throat, runny nose, headaches, and congestion. How can you tell whats actually making you feel crummy?

The way your symptoms appear is often a big clue: Colds tend to creep up slowly, while allergy symptoms usually flare up shortly after youre exposed to an allergen, per the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. Meanwhile, if you start to notice itching, stuffiness, or an annoying tickle in the back of your throat after spending some time outside, youre probably dealing with allergies.

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If your sore throat tends to get worse or makes it hard to swallow, or you develop a fever, chills, or body aches, youre probably dealing with a cold or infection, Dr. Mehdizadeh says. And if your allergy medications dont seem to be helping, thats also a sign your symptoms could be pointing to a cold, flu, COVID-19, or something else.

Unfortunately, they arent mutually exclusive: Colds and allergies can exist at the same time, Dr. Reisacher says. So if you cant figure out what youre dealing with, talk with your doctor.

Why See An Allergist For A Sinus Infection

If you get sinus infections often, then it is important to identify the cause of the inflammation. Chronic sinusitis that is not treated can cause ear and upper and lower respiratory infections. When these infections start to interfere with your enjoyment of life, then its time to get help. An allergist is trained to identify allergy triggers that may be making your sinus infections occur more often. Our highly trained staff can help you find a solution that helps you take back control and live sinus infection-free.

Schedule an appointment at one of our local offices with a board-certified allergist to start a path to living without sinus infections.

Read Also: Can Seasonal Allergies Make You Feel Sick

Get Sinus Allergy Treatment Before It Becomes An Infection

If you live with sinus allergies, you may not realize that this condition can turn into an infection. Colds and allergies can block off the sinus drainage channels, which leads to a buildup of fluid from swelling or inflammation.

When the sinuses cannot drain properly, it creates an environment where bacteria can grow.

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