Symptoms | Elementary diagnostic criteria | Primary classification | Recommended treatment | Differential diagnosis |
Stuffy nose with secretion | Duration: <2 weeks | Acute viral respiratory infection, acute rhinitis | Local vasoconstrictors for 5 days: more specified in real guideline, etc., two nose drops t.i.d. | Vascular or allergic rhinitis |
Duration: >2 weeks | Allergic or vascular rhinitis | Histamine-blocker medications (more specified in real guideline), with nasal beclomethasone two nasal inhalations q.i.d. or four inhalations b.i.d. or with antihistamines alone | Acute rhinitis, acute viral respiratory infection | |
Facial pain or headache# | No fever | Simple sinusitis | Analgesia (more specified in real guideline) and local vasoconstrictors for 5 days (specified in real guideline) | Periodontitis, tooth decay, malignant neoplasm in oral cavity, tongue, larynx, nose sinuses, temporo-mandibular syndrome, facial migraine, eye or parotid illnesses, etc. |
With fever and purulent nose secretion | Mucous and purulent sinusitis | As for simple sinusitis + amoxiciilin 0.5 g t.i.d. for 7 days |
The Practical Approach to Lung Health guideline (this excerpt is taken from) also features a disease-specific chapter, enabling the clinician to refine and check the (preliminary) diagnosis, e.g. when assessing possible differential diagnostic options. Each country takes responsibility of guideline content. #: list continues in real guideline.