Grandview Medical Group
During the change of seasons, Dr. Alex McDonald at Grandview Medical Group Hoover sees a lot of sinusitis cases in his patients.
In the fall, a lot of people are outside cleaning their leaves with a leaf blower and kicking up allergens. In the spring, the abundance of pollen can inflame many people’s mucosal passages.
“Rhinosinusitis is typically caused by an unknown virus,” he said. “But it can also be caused by allergies — the blooming pollen and the change of seasons is the time we get a lot of this.”
This is because your sinuses’ number one job is to produce mucus to clear your airways, moisturize the air you breathe and protect your lungs. When you get especially “snotty,” though, you’re spreading your germs to other people who touch the same surfaces you do.
Acute sinusitis is typically a self-limiting disease. “We just treat the symptoms and it gets better in about 7-10 days,” Dr. McDonald said.
But if the symptoms don’t get better, the patient may start to worry about bacterial sinusitis. Patients that have severe symptoms or are not improving may need to be referred to an Otolaryngologist for further evaluation and treatment.
“We focus on managing the symptoms of the patients that have it,” he said. “The number one thing you can do is avoid any allergens, but sometimes that's not possible with some people’s lifestyles.”
If the patient can’t avoid the allergens, there are three steps they can take next:
► First, increase hydration. Without hydration, mucus gets gunky and causes more problems.
► Next, use a nasal irrigation to clean out the nose and prevent your case from turning bacterial. A lot of people use something like a neti pot.
► Another next step is an intranasal spray, such as Flonase.
Sometimes on days three or four of having symptoms, Dr. McDonald’s patients come to him concerned because pressure is building up in their ears.
“They feel like they’re underwater,” he said. “This is very common.”
This is called Eustachian tube dysfunction. This Eustachian tube connects the middle ear to the posterior nasopharynx (behind the nasal cavity). If that’s blocked up or inflamed, then it causes uncomfortable pressure and brings people in to see Dr. McDonald.
Another symptom that brings in patients is a sore throat. This is caused when you get postnasal drip, which is mucus draining through the back of the throat and causing throat irritation and cough.
“Red flag symptoms here would be if they're having facial pain or pressure,” he said. “Tooth pain is another red flag, or if symptoms have lasted over 10 days or they have an abrupt worsening of their symptoms.”
Dr. McDonald said people can also often use antihistamines to treat nasal symptoms. However, he said that a lot of people use sedating drugs, such as Benedryl.
“There are newer medicines like Claratin, and they’re a better choice if you’re going to use an antihistamine because they’re not as sedating,” he said.
Mucolytics can be helpful, such as Mucinex. But people using this drug should make sure they stay hydrated, he said.
Oral decongestants — such as Claritin D, Zyrtec D, or Allegra D — can be good but shouldn’t be used by people who have problems with blood pressure. Any drug with the “D” at the end (standing for decongestants) will raise blood pressure.
He recommended Tylenol or Ibuprofen for pain relief.
Dr. McDonald started working in family medicine at Grandview in November 2021. He earned his medical degree from Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Dr. McDonald typically sees patients for:
► Preventive healthcare and screenings
► Diabetes
► Blood Pressure
► Cholesterol
► Thyroid
► Chronic illness management
► Acute care for illness and injuries
You can find him at Hoover’s primary care office at 2949 John Hawkins Parkway.
