Can a cold or hay fever cause sinusitis?
Dr. Titi: Yes, that’s very common. Most sinus infections start with allergies and/or colds. Both of those processes can cause narrowing of those tunnels we were talking about because of the swelling that is associated with them. Q: What about medications that some people take to provide relief such as aspirin and Ibuprofen? Sometimes can they cause sinusitis? Dr. Titi: It is interesting that you ask that. There is an association but just taking an aspirin or an Advil will not cause a sinus infection or even taking it for a number of weeks. However, there is a special type of patient who has nasal polyps. They have a severe swelling of the tissues in the nose and a polyp grows. Those are fairly easily diagnosed because they look gray instead of pink. The nasal membranes are normally pink. Q: What’s special about these patients? Dr. Titi: They usually have asthma as well and they tend to be overly sensitive to medicines like aspirin and Advil. If they take one of these medicines, there i
