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Cold or Sinus Infection
If you have a stuffy nose or a cough, it can be hard to tell if you have a sinus infection, a cold, or the flu. These conditions share some key symptoms, but they do have some differences as well. For example, facial pain is a common symptom of a sinus infection, but is rare with a cold or the flu.
The symptoms of a cold and a sinus infection can be quite similar to each other. This is because the same viruses often cause both conditions. Also, because the nose and sinuses are connected, it is possible for viruses to move easily between the nasal passages and the sinuses.
Not all colds affect the sinuses. However, it is quite uncommon for the sinuses to be infected with a virus and not have the nasal passages also affected -- hence the reason that a person with sinusitis not only has symptoms around the sinuses but also in the nasal passages.
The following table lists some key symptoms that the common cold, flu, and sinusitis share -- along with some key differences.
|
Symptoms
|
Cold
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Sinusitis (Sinus Infection)
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Flu
|
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Fever
|
Rare
|
Viral sinusitis -- Occasionally; lasts for about two days
Bacterial sinusitis -- High temperature (greater than 102ºF or 39ºC) common
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Characteristic, high (102ºF to 104ºF); lasts three to four days
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|
Stuffy nose
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Common
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Common
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Sometimes
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|
Runny nose
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Common (discharge can be thin or thick)
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Common (discharge is often thick and colored)
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Sometimes
|
|
Facial and/or tooth pain
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Rare
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Common
|
Rare
|
|
Headache
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Rare
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Sometimes
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Prominent
|
|
General aches, pains
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Slight
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Sometimes
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Usual; often severe
|
|
Fatigue,
weakness
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Quite mild
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Sometimes
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Can last up to two to three weeks
|
|
Extreme exhaustion
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Never
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Rare
|
Early and prominent
|
|
Sneezing
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Common
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Less common
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Sometimes
|
|
Sore throat
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Common
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Sometimes
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Sometimes
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|
Chest discomfort, cough
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Mild to moderate; hacking cough
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Mild to moderate; worse at night
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Common; can become severe
|
|
Decreased sense of smell or taste
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Rare
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Sometimes; more common with chronic sinusitis
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Rare
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD