Sinus Infection

Every cold is Viral sinusitis, but Sinus Infection is usually used to refer to a Bacter Ial infection.

Sinus infections often last for weeks or months without treatment... Acute and subacute bacterial sinusitis is usually best treated with appropriate Antibiotic-s... Saline nose drops may thin the mucus and speed healing. Decongestants may help symptoms, but usually do not speed healing. Antihistamines may thicken the mucus and slow healing.

The AAP recommends that the diagnosis of sinusitis be made when children have a runny nose, postnasal drip, and/or a daytime cough, which may worsen at night, and that these symptoms have lasted for more than 10 to 14 days. Children with a shorter duration of symptoms might still have a sinus infection if the symptoms are severe, including 3-4 days of fever (over 102 degrees F) in a child that appears ill... For children who are not at risk of having an infection caused by a resistant bacteria, for example, kids who are not in Day-Care or who have not been on antibiotics recently, they may be treated with a regular dose of amoxicillin, which can now be given just twice a day. If the child is not improving with amoxicillin, or is at risk of having a resistant bacterial infection, then high dose amoxicillin, with a dose about twice as high as the usual dose, or high dose amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin ES) should be used. Alternatives can include cefdinir (Omnicef), cefuroxime (Ceftin), cefpodoxime (Vantin), or a shot of ceftriaxone (Rocephin) if the child is vomiting. For children with a serious allergy to penicillin, clarithromycin (Biaxin), azithromycin (Zithromax) or clindamycin (Cleocin) may be used.