Symptoms of Sinus Infection vs Cold

It is likely that most people remain dubious about differentiating between a sinus infection and a common cold. This is plainly because, they exhibit symptoms that are almost the same. But then, these two conditions are different from each other.

Sinus Infection and Common Cold
Talking about sinus infection, it is nothing but an inflammation and swelling of the nasal passages, and the sinuses. Also known as sinusitis, this condition has two forms; acute sinusitis and chronic. Acute sinusitis occurs suddenly, and does not last for more than about 8 weeks. It is the chronic sinus infection that is the most bothersome, as it develops gradually over time, and lasts for more than 8 weeks. It is known to be the most common type of sinus infection, and in most cases, it is incurable.

Now coming to one of the most common illnesses which does not spare anyone, common cold refers to an infection of the upper respiratory tract. This condition is usually harmless, but the most annoying because of its symptoms. A week or two is all is needed for the cold to resolve.

An important point is the fact that common cold is the result of a viral infection, while sinus infection happens to be a complication of a common cold. It can also be caused by bacterial infection, fungal infection, allergies, tooth infection, deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps etc.

Is it A Cold or A Sinus Infection?

Symptoms of Common Cold:
The incubation period of common cold is 2-3 days. Meaning, after the virus infects a person, it takes about this much of time to manifest itself into signs and symptoms. The symptoms include:

• Nasal congestion
• Runny, stuffy nose
• Cough, may be accompanied by sore throat
• The throat may be itchy too
• There might be a headache of a mild nature
• Clear nasal discharge
• Fever (common in kids)
• Sneezing, watery eyes
• Low-grade fatigue

Symptoms of Sinus Infection:
Common ones include:

• Pain that can be felt originating from behind the eyes, across the forehead, behind the cheeks, and inner corner of the eye
• There might also be a pain around the top teeth
• Post nasal discharge
• Nasal obstruction, which causes breathing difficulty
• The area around the cheeks, eyes, nose or forehead may be tender to touch
• Nasal discharge - green or yellow
• Decreased sense of smell, and taste as well
• Ear pain, bad breath, fatigue, and sore throat are the other symptoms

So what we can infer from the above description is, the pain is the main sign that differentiates between sinus infection and common cold. As mentioned, in a common cold, there might be mild headache. But when it is an acute or chronic sinusitis, the pain can vary in nature by a wide degree. And as you can see there are few similar symptoms, and some that are not.