Sinus Infection and Diabetes – Does Sinus Infection Affect Your Diabetes?

Diabetes can be the reason behind your low immunity towards infections. Sinus infection and diabetes are related to each other. Typically Diabetic people have high levels of blood sugars. These varying levels increase the risk of infections and particularly ones in delicate areas like sinuses.

In the case of sinus infection, bacterial and viral invasions are not the only cause of sinus infection.  Diabetes can be the cause of sinus infection. Diabetic patients are most likely to get an oral yeast infection, spreading to the nasal cavity. Unlike other infections, sinus infection detection and treatment is a little bit difficult.

When your blood sugar level exceeds normal in your tissues and blood, it allows bacteria growth, and the infection spreads more quickly. Common problematic sites are your kidneys, bladder, vagina, skin, feet, and gums. Undoubtedly early treatment can help to overcome these issues.

What is Sinus infection?

The swelling and inflammation in the tissues that are lining the sinuses are known as sinusitis. When sinuses are healthy, they are full of air, but when filled with fluid and blocked, germs can grow in it and result in infection.

The condition that results in sinuses includes:

• The condition when the lining of the nose is swelled by allergens and is known as Allergic rhinitis.
• Common cold
• Diabetes
• A deviated septum (nasal cavity’s shift).
• Nasal polyps are the small growth in the lining of the nose.

Types of Sinusitis

There are four different types of sinus infections, and you may have heard it from your doctor.

• Acute sinusitis

Acute sinus infection mostly starts with common cold-like symptoms such as the stuffy nose, facial pain, runny nose. It starts at a sudden and continues for 2- 4 weeks.

• Subacute sinusitis

Subacute sinus infection mostly lasts from 4 to 12 weeks.

• Chronic sinusitis

The symptoms of chronic sinus infection mostly last from 12 weeks or maybe longer.

• Recurrent sinusitis

You may get recurrent sinusitis several times in a year.

Who gets it?

Most people get sinus infections each year. For instance, 35 million Americans get a sinus infection every year. The condition when the chances of getting a sinus infection increases are as follows:

• When drainage ducts are blocked
• Swelling inside the nose due to common cold
• Nasal polyps
• The difference in the structure that narrows the ducts
• Low immunity or some medications that depress the immune system.

In children, the sinuses can be the cause of:

• Pacifiers
• Allergies
• Drinking with the bottle when lying on the back
• Smoky environment
• Maybe from other children in the school or daycare.

Symptoms of sinus infection

The common symptoms include

• Facial pressure or pain
• Loss of smell
• Blocked nose
• Runny nose
• congestion or cough

You may also have:

• Bad breath
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Dental pain

If you have two or more symptoms or thick, yellow, or green nasal discharge, you may have an acute sinus infection.

Chronic Sinusitis Symptoms

Its symptoms may continue from 12 weeks or more.

• Fullness or congestion feeling in your face
• Nasal blockage or obstruction
• Fever
• Pus in the nasal cavity
• Runny nose or
• discolored nasal fluid

You may also have bad breath, headaches, tooth pain, and even you may feel laziness. There are several causes for these symptoms. Therefore see your doctor find out whether it is sinusitis or not.

Sinus infection causes

Here are some of the common causes of sinus infection

• Diabetes

Diabetes lowers the capability of the immune system and meanwhile increases the risk of sinus infection.

• Nasal polyps

The growth in tissues results in blocking the sinuses or nasal passageway.

• Respiratory tract infection

Respiratory tract infections, especially common colds, result in thickening and inflammation in your sinus membrane and cause the blockage in nasal drainage. These infections can be fungal, bacterial, or viral.

• Allergies

Many allergies result in sinus infection like hay fever. Inflammation, along with these allergies, blocks your sinuses.

• Deviated nasal septum

The wall between your nostrils can block or restrict your sinus passages and make the symptoms of sinus infection worse.

• Other medical conditions

In some conditions, cystic fibrosis complications, immune-related diseases, and HIV can lead to nasal blockage.

Risk factors

You are consequently at high risk of getting sinus infection if you are suffering from:

• A deviated septum
• High fever or another allergic condition
• Regular exposure to smoke and pollutants such as cigarette smoke
• Asthma
• Aspirin sensitivity
• A dental infection
• An immune system disorder like HIV/AIDS or cystic fibrosis

• Nasal polyps

Complications

Rarely there are serious complications in case of sinus infection, but it may include.

• Vision Problem

In some cases, your sinus infection can spread to your eyes socket; it reduces your vision and may result in permanent blindness.

• Infection

Rarely, people with sinus infection develop inflammation in the membrane and fluids around the spinal cord and brain (meningitis), a serious skin infection, or an infection in the bone.

Diagnostic Test for Sinus Infection

Your physician will feel the tenderness in your face and nose, and usually, diagnose your sinus infection through the physical examination.

Some other methods are used in the diagnosis of sinus infection, and they include:

• Nasal Endoscopy

An endoscope that is a flexible and thin fiber-optic light allows doctors to examine visually through your nose and check the inside of your sinuses.

• Imaging studies

A CT scan is the best to check the sinuses and nasal area and sinuses in detail. In the case of uncomplicated acute sinusitis, doctors usually don’t recommend it. But these imaging studies help find abnormalities and suspected complications.

• Sinus and Nasal samples

In diagnosing acute sinusitis, it isn’t generally important generally necessary in the diagnosis of acute sinusitis. Laboratory tests aren’t generally necessary in the diagnosis of acute sinus infection. Besides, when the condition worsens and is not responding to the treatment, samples help find the root cause.

• Allergy testing

If your doctor suspects the cause of your sinus infection is your allergy, then he will recommend an allergy skin test. A skin test is quick and safe and helps pinpoint the main cause of your sinus infection.

Sinus infection treatment

Your doctor will recommend using saline nasal washes or decongestants if you are suffering from a simple sinus infection. Furthermore, you shouldn’t use an over the counter saline nasal washes for more than three days as it can result in more congestion.

Your doctor will probably give you antibiotics for 10 to 14 days. Gradually the symptoms will disappear with treatment. In the case of chronic sinusitis, moist and warm air is helpful.

Steam: You can use a pan of warm water to inhale steam or use a vaporizer. But make sure the water isn’t hot to burn your face.

There are some other vital things you can do by yourself to overcome the chronic sinusitis:

• Warm air will ease your pain in the sinuses and nose.
• Over the counter decongestant spray and drops are helpful. Besides, don’t take it too long as it can cause harm.
• There is no harm in using saline nose drops. Your doctor may also prescribe you to take steroids along with antibiotics.

Other Options

• You should avoid any sort of triggers that can affect your sinusitis.
• Your doctor will recommend an antihistamine, in case you are suffering from allergies.
• If it is a cause of fungus, your prescription will include an antifungal medicine.
• If you have an immunity deficiency, then your doctor will give you immunoglobulin. In addition, it will help to cope with the things that react with your body.

Can I prevent sinus infection and diabetes?

There is no exact fire way to prevent sinus infection. But some ways might be useful.

• Avoid smoking, both active and passive.
• Frequently wash your hand and try not to touch your face, especially during flu season and cold season.
• Maintain a distance from the things you are allergic to.

What Happens if Sinusitis and diabetes Aren’t Treated?

You’ll have discomfort and pain until it starts to clear up. In some rare cases, untreated sinusitis can lead to a brain abscess, meningitis, or a bone infection. Seek help from your doctor about your concerns.

Diabetic neuropathy

Nerve damage can be problematic for sensation, especially in feet. The lack of sensation can be harmful as, in some cases, foot injuries might go unnoticed. Untreated injuries can be the cause of infection.

If the injuries are not properly cured, it can give rise to infections. Some type of nerve damage can lead to cracked, dry skin. In addition, it becomes an entry point for different infections into the body.

Diabetic patients usually have low blood flow to the extremities. When the blood flow is low, it becomes difficult for the body to mobilize its normal immune defiance and some of the important nutrients that enhance the body’s ability to promote healing and fight infection.

Why Are Infections riskier for Diabetic Patients?

People with diabetes are more badly affected by an infection as compared to the non-diabetic person. The very first reason is the weekend immune system. According to different studies, even diabetic patients with minimal elevated blood sugar have to experience worse infections.

The mortality rate due to infection is not high in diabetic patients, but they have to face hospitalization for a longer period and maximum recovery time as others.

How can we avoid infection?

One of the most important things that a diabetic patient can do to avoid infections is foot care.

In avoiding any minor bumps and scrapes in addition to the sock, shoes do a daily self checkup of your feet for any scrapes, cuts, blisters, sores, or any other skin problems. By giving on-time treatment, it will help to stop the infection from developing.

Skin and foot care are vital to avoid minor cuts and scrapes and don’t turn into an infection that affects the bloodstream and becomes a major problem.

To avoid urinary tract infection, especially for women, takes good care of urinary hygiene to minimize infection chances. It includes proper toilet hygiene, daily emptying your bladder, ample liquid intake, and prompt urination after sex.

Fungal infection can easily be avoided by taking good vaginal care. It may include the avoidance of douches. Eating healthy foods with active cultures like yogurt containing Acidophilus helps prevent yeast infection.

Look for Symptoms of Infection

Early treatment and diagnosis of infection are important. Diabetic patients should be careful about any changes in their bodies that give hints of an infection. Here are some examples of the body changes that alert you about infection.

• Pain during urination
• Bloody or foul-smelling urine
• Increase in body temperature
• Pain and difficulty during swallowing
• Redness or warmth at cuts
• Smelly vaginal discharge
• Changes in bowel habits

You should be careful about these symptoms and must contact your physical health care.

The Do’s and don’ts of diabetic care when you are sick

• Drink plenty of fluids

For any person who is sick with infection or diabetes, vomiting and diarrhea can cause dehydration. Diabetic patients should be more serious about drinking fluids as their excess high blood sugar levels increase the rate of urination and results in dehydration.

Use sugar-free sports drinks and more water to replace fluids and electrolytes.

• Don’t increase or skip your medication doses

Never try to adjust your diabetes insulin or medication without the advice of your doctor. If you face irregularly high or low sugar levels instead of self-medication, you should call your doctor. Follow the advice of your doctor to control the blood sugar level of your blood.

• Keep track of your blood sugar

If you feel sick, check your blood sugar level more often. If you continuously have a high blood sugar level, check your ketones level, and you can do it with a urine strip test.

• Do pick diabetes-friendly cold medications

When you are looking for the over the counter medicines, ask your doctor for a proper guideline. Your doctor knows which medicine will suit your medicine. Try to use sugar-free cough syrups and avoid others as they can increase your blood pressure and blood sugar level.

• DON’T ignore symptoms of high blood sugar

If you are having symptoms of high diabetes, then immediately call your doctor and seek medical help. These conditions are as follows:

• Having a Blood glucose level 240
• Dry mouth or increase thirst
• Frequent urination
• Excessive amounts of ketones in your urine
• Continuous vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Confusion
• Lack of consciousness

Even if you are not facing any of the problems, contact your doctor, and seek medical help and guidelines.

• Do eat a small portion of food

Try to adopt a healthy habit of food and eat food that is easy to digest, especially for a sick stomach like crackers, gelatin, soup, and applesauce. According to experts, take 50 grams of carbohydrates every two to three hours and take proper regular calorie intake.

Try to eat broth, frozen fruit pops, pudding, and juice, if you cannot eat any solids.

• Keep a written record

Try to write the details of your daily routine. Try to record the time of your medications, the time you eat, what you eat. Especially record any new symptom you experience like vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, or fever. In addition, try to make a tracking record of your weight.

• Wear a medical ID

Mostly sick days pass out without any problem, but if you are sick and lose consciousness, and have to go for emergency care, a medical card will provide all the vital information in case of emergency.

• Seek medical help

If you are having early symptoms of sinus infection and diabetes, then immediately seek medical help. Early treatment can prove to be very helpful and can eradicate the cause of the problem.

Does sinus infection raise blood sugar?

Sinus infection and diabetes are related to each other. The main reason is that flu, cold, or a sinus infection can increase your body’s stress level-high-stress level results in releasing hormones to overcome the problem. Besides fighting the illness, these hormones affect your blood sugar and increase it.

The serious infection affects your blood glucose level and leads to certain complications.

End words by the writer

Sinus infection and diabetes do affect each other. Diabetes affects the ability of your body to fight against infection. The high blood glucose level in your body affects your immunity and helps the bacteria grow and results in the spread of infection.

The most common sites for these infections are the bladder, vagina, kidneys, nose, gums, skin, and especially feet. Besides, early treatment is always helpful in avoiding any serious complications in the future.

 FAQs

• How sinus infection and diabetes are related to each other?

In the case of infections, people with diabetes are more susceptible, and that is how sinus infection and diabetes are linked together. High blood glucose level weakens the immune system defense mechanism.

Furthermore, some issues due to diabetes, such as reduced blood flow and nerve damage, increases the chances of getting an infection.

What are home remedies that help to get rid of the sinus infection?

Many home treatments prove to be helpful in the treatment of sinus infection.

• Flush: It is a home remedy that involves the use of water and salt solution to flush your nasal passages
• Spray
• Steam
• Rest
• Hydrate
• OTC medication
• Humidity

• Can my sinus infection getaway on its own?

Undoubtedly sinus infections are very common; within ten days, symptoms normally go away on its own. Over the counter medications and natural remedies prove to be helpful to get rid of sinus infections. In Spite of, if your symptoms last for more than ten days, immediately contact your doctor and seek medical help.

• Does sinus infect and diabetes affects each other?

Sinus infection and diabetes definitely affect each other. A diabetic patient has low immunity towards infection as compared to a non-diabetic person. Diabetic patients use decongestants to relieve common flu, cold, or sinus infection. It contains certain ingredients that raise your blood glucose level.

• Why do sinus infections and diabetes make me lazy?

There is a lot of mucus production in a sinus infection, and the person is unable to clear his sinuses despite the time he blows his nose. That is the main reason to feel tired because it requires a lot of energy. Besides, you will be exhausted due to the difficulty in breathing.

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