On Health with Houston Methodist

Sinus Infection vs. Allergies: How to Tell the Difference


Listen Later

Sinus problems are the bane of many people's existence, all that congestion and discharge, difficulty breathing, post-nasal drip, coughing, pressure. But is the issue an infection or allergies? It can be a tricky question, even for doctors, who see about 30 million people annually for sinus infections and more than 80 million annually for allergies. So what are the key distinguishing symptoms? Why is it sometimes so hard to tell the difference? And is there any overlap in the treatments? In this week's episode, we attempt to unlock the mystery of the two most common sinus ailments.

Expert: Dr. Mas Takashima, Otolaryngologist

Interviewer: Todd Ackerman

Notable topics covered:

  • The tools sinus specialists use when severe allergies mimic symptoms of infections
  • Is there a difference in the body's response to sinus infections and allergens?
  • The study that found many chronic allergy sufferers' real issue was an infection
  • Viral, bacterial, fungal — which sinus infection type is the most concerning?
  • How to know if the antibiotic killed the infection when it's allergy season and you're still having symptoms
  • Stricken with a viral sinus infection? Beware follow-up bacterial infection months later
  • Do food allergies affect sinuses?
  • How long is too long to have mysterious nasal symptoms?
  • Distinguishing between long Covid and allergies or other infections

If you enjoy these kinds of conversations, be sure to subscribe. And for more topics like this, visit our blog at houstonmethodist.org/blog.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

On Health with Houston MethodistBy Houston Methodist

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

20 ratings


More shows like On Health with Houston Methodist

View all
TED Health by TED

TED Health

1,425 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,357 Listeners

The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe by The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe

40,674 Listeners

Heart Doc VIP with Dr. Joel Kahn by Dr. Joel Kahn

Heart Doc VIP with Dr. Joel Kahn

483 Listeners

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard by Armchair Umbrella

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

68,848 Listeners

The Genius Life by Max Lugavere

The Genius Life

4,817 Listeners

The Dr. Hyman Show by Dr. Mark Hyman

The Dr. Hyman Show

9,333 Listeners

The Peter Attia Drive by Peter Attia, MD

The Peter Attia Drive

7,893 Listeners

PLANTSTRONG Podcast by Rip Esselstyn

PLANTSTRONG Podcast

2,290 Listeners

Chasing Life by CNN

Chasing Life

8,213 Listeners

The Hormone Genius Podcast by Teresa Kenney and Jamie Rathjen

The Hormone Genius Podcast

237 Listeners

Huberman Lab by Scicomm Media

Huberman Lab

28,273 Listeners

We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle and Audacy

We Can Do Hard Things

41,311 Listeners

ZOE Science & Nutrition by ZOE

ZOE Science & Nutrition

2,002 Listeners

The Mel Robbins Podcast by Mel Robbins

The Mel Robbins Podcast

20,349 Listeners