Q: I have been suffering from cold from the last 2 months, greenish phlegm comes out when I cough and my head aches and body pain and in a gap of 20 days at night time my temp goes high and I feel very cold my body shakes and when I cover my body with blanket I feel comfortable after one hour my temp gets normal leaving cough and fever headache behind is it normal. Last year I went for a blood test the doctor said that eosinophilia is high in my blood; what is eosinophilia? He asked me to avoid cold eatable things since then I avoided eating cold things. Please advice.

A:A persistent cold with green sputum suggests chronic sinusitis. Medical treatment with antibiotics and decongestants (perhaps with a course of corticosteroids) given for 4-6 weeks may cure the condition. However relapse may occur, and eventually nasal endoscopy and possibly surgical intervention by an ENT specialist will be needed. Eosinophilic elevation in the blood count suggests infection with parasites or a fungus. These are more likely to be a coincidental problems in the bowel, but sinus disease may be caused by such organisms. Other possibilities include hypersensitivity diseases or collagen vascular diseases. Usually these disorders cause severe illness, and a biopsy is needed to establish the diagnosis. These diseases will require steroid or immunosuppressive drug therapy.