Monthly Archives: November 2015

Sinus disease is also known as sinus infection or sinusitis. It causes swelling and inflammation of air cavities inside the nose. Some patients also experience facial pain and nasal trauma.

Sinus diseases are caused by microorganisms like fungus, bacteria and viruses. Often these microorganisms grow inside sinus. Chemicals and other external elements like allergens can also cause sinus infection. There are different categories of sinus infection like acute & sub-acute sinus infection, chronic sinus infection and infectious and non- infectious sinusitis. This classification is based on the causes and severity of the infection. Also, different sinus infection impacts different parts of the body like nose and head.

In most cases, this is not a contagious disease. However, in some cases physical contact might transmit the infection from one person to another.

Symptoms and diagnosis of sinus disease

Some symptoms of sinus disease are listed below:

• Fever
• Swelling of face
• Cough and sore throat
• Inflammation in nasal cavities
• Dizziness and fatigue
• Coloured liquid coming out from the nose
• Pain in teeth
• Bad breath

Diagnosis of sinus disease is done by examining nose, throat and sinuses. Generally if there is swelling in the nasal tissues accompanied by discharge, it is considered to be a sinus infection. Skin is also examined for any sign of redness. For examining inside area of the nose, a tiny camera is inserted in it. However, this process is not as painful as it sounds. A nasal spray is given so that camera tube can slide inside the nose comfortably.

If the disease persists for more than eight weeks, than a CT scan of sinus is done for diagnosing the problem.

Treatment of sinus disease

Sinus disease treatment is done by giving antibiotics, sprays for decongesting nasal and antihistamines etc. Depending on the symptoms, single or multiple drugs can be given. In some extreme cases of sinus disease surgery is also required. These are minor surgeries that are done to open up the closed passage.

If you notice any persisting symptom of this disease, immediately go to your nearest sinus disease clinical centre. Delay in treatment will only result is more pain. Since, in some cases it can be infectious, so make sure that your negligence should not cause problem to other people around you. Another thing is that with time the disease might become more severe, which in turn will increase the cost of the treatment.

In simple terms, any adverse reaction due to medicine can be termed as drug allergy. Body can react to any foreign substance, but in these cases drugs are solely responsible for causing allergic reactions. When immune system reacts to these drugs, symptoms of allergies may appear. Remember, drug allergies are different from drug overdose.

Drug Allergy Symptoms

Symptoms of drug allergy depend on the severity of the problem. In some cases, allergy can affect more than one organ. Some common symptoms are:

• Fever
• Skin rash and itching
• Increase in heartbeat and pulse rate
• Breathing becomes difficult
• Anxiety
• Swelling of lips and tongues
• In severe cases some people might suffer from loss of consciousness
• Vomiting and pain in abdominal area

Diagnosis and Treatment of Drug Allergies

Diagnosing drug allergy

Some drugs responsible for allergies are penicillin, insulin, other antibiotics, anticonvulsants and iodine etc. Drug allergy is diagnosed by doing skin test or by stopping any particular drug. If by stopping the drug use symptoms also stops than it means that particular drug is responsible for causing allergic reactions.

Treating drug allergies

For treatment, doctor in drug allergy clinic will stop giving you the allergy inducing medicine. Instead they will give you antihistamines for controlling itching and hives. Some allergies can cause Asthma.  In case of allergic Asthma, albuterol is given for reducing symptoms like chest tightness, fever and shortness of breath. Some medication is also given through injections.

For anyone suffering from drug allergy, it is very important that before starting any treatment, he or she should inform the doctor about his medical condition. They will give you alternative antibiotics. Desensitization is done by giving small amount of antibiotics in the initial stage of treatment. Gradually the quantity is increased so that immune system can deal with it without having any adverse reaction. Overdose of allergy causing drugs can be lethal.

Allergies can be potentially life threatening. If you have any symptom, go to the nearest drug allergy clinical center immediately. For someone with more than one allergy, he or she should stop exposing themselves to that antibiotic or any other allergy causing substance. Call the doctor or emergency services before things get out of control.

Adverse reaction by our immune system caused due to consumption of a particular food item can be called food allergy. Sometimes allergy can be hereditary.

Symptoms and diagnosis of food allergy

Like any other allergy, food allergy is also quite subjective. It will vary from person to person and from substance to substance. For people who are allergic to a particular substance, even a small amount could react.

Some common symptoms of food allergies are:

• Rashes and hives
• Nausea
• Short breath
• Coughing
• Vomiting
• Pain in abdominal area
• Swelling of face
• Itching of skin

In extreme cases food allergy can cause fainting and even death. Anaphylaxis is a severe form of allergy which causes problems in blood circulation and respiratory tract. Some common food items that can cause allergic reactions are egg, milk, seafood, fruits and vegetables etc.

Diagnosing food allergies

The food item that causes adverse reaction every time you eat it is the main culprit. Though age is no bar for 1`getting allergies, children are more susceptible to food allergies. Cross reactivity can also happen, this means a person allergic to a particular food item, for example egg, will also give allergic reactions when he or she consumes any other food made up of egg. Two types of test are conducted by food allergy clinics:

Blood test: Amount of IgE antibody is measure for particular food item. Results are not as accurate as skin test.

Skin test: Food allergen is injected in the skin. If the skin reacts to the allergen than it means the test is positive.

Treatment of food allergy

First thing that one can do is avoid that particular food item. Allergy can also be caused by touching, so avoid coming in contact with that allergen. Symptoms of allergy can be controlled by giving antihistamine. Giving antihistamine is not a cure but it provides relief to the patient by calming down histamine. It can be given in three forms – gels or lotions, sprays and capsules. Steroids can also be given to settle down the agitated immune system.  But before you try any of these yourself, do consult allergy clinic to know the administration and the appropriate form. Because these all are chemicals, it is necessary that you only take one which suits you and doesn’t cause any other chain reaction.

Whenever symptoms of food allergy are discovered, immediately go to your nearby food allergy clinical center. They will diagnose the root cause of the problem and start treatment. These clinical centres will also help you in managing the allergy.