Catarrhal Sinusitis - Symptoms, Treatment, Catarrhal Sinusitis In Children

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Catarrhal sinusitis

The content of the article:

1. Causes of catarrhal sinusitis
2. Forms
3. Features of catarrhal sinusitis in children
4. Symptoms of catarrhal sinusitis
5. Diagnostics
6. Treatment of catarrhal sinusitis
7. Complications of catarrhal sinusitis
8. Forecast
9. Prevention of catarrhal sinusitis

Catarrhal sinusitis is an inflammation of the maxillary sinus, which is accompanied by the formation of mucous or serous exudate.

Source: myterapevt.com

The maxillary sinuses are connected to the nasal cavity by a maxillary cleft. Under the action of stimuli in the sinuses, excessive production of colorless mucus occurs, the mucous membrane swells, the excretory ducts are blocked, the outflow of secretory discharge is hampered, and it accumulates in the maxillary nasal cavities. Favorable conditions are created for the development and reproduction of pathogenic microflora. The inflammatory process can develop on one side or spread on both sides of the nose into the infraorbital region. With a weakened immunity, the inflammatory process becomes chronic.

With the catarrhal form of sinusitis in the clinical picture of the disease, there are no signs of a bacterial infection. Exudate of several types is formed: mucous, serous and serous-hemorrhagic.

The disease has no restrictions on age and sex, but in children, catarrhal sinusitis is diagnosed most often.

Causes of catarrhal sinusitis

The development of the inflammatory process is more likely in the autumn-winter and winter-spring periods, when immunity is reduced due to frequent respiratory diseases.

Sinusitis occurs due to processes that are accompanied by impaired drainage of the contents of the sinus and swelling of the nasal mucosa:

• complicated course of viral infections (influenza, parainfluenza, adenoviruses, etc.);
• improper therapy of chronic and vasomotor rhinitis;
• allergic reactions;
• a weakened immune system;
• injuries to bones or soft tissues of the maxillary region;
• the presence of cysts and polyps in the maxillary sinuses;
• curvature of the nasal septum (narrowness of the nasal passages);
• infectious diseases (measles, scarlet fever);
• dental pathology;
• the presence of foci of chronic infection of the nasal and oral cavity (chronic pharyngitis, adenoid growths).

Forms

Catarrhal sinusitis can occur in acute and chronic form. The duration of the acute period is 2-4 weeks. In the absence of treatment, the acute form of the disease can become chronic.

The chronic form of catarrhal sinusitis is divided into the following types:

• edematous;
• hypertrophic;
• mixed.

Forms of catarrhal sinusitis according to the localization of inflammation:

• unilateral sinusitis (left or right);
• bilateral.

Unilateral sinusitis differs from bilateral sinusitis by the breadth of coverage of the paranasal sinuses by inflammation and the severity of the course.

On the way of infection of the maxillary sinus, there are:

• rhinogenic sinusitis - the source of infection is the nasal cavity;
• hematogenous - the causative agent of the infection enters the sinus through the blood;
• odontogenic - a consequence of inflammatory processes in the teeth of the upper jaw.

Source: meditsina-online.ru

Features of catarrhal sinusitis in children

In newborns, the maxillary sinus is not formed, it is a gap that does not contain air. By the age of four, the maxillary sinus takes on the appearance of a cavity, its formation is completed, and later it only grows. Therefore, the occurrence of sinusitis in a child is considered possible no earlier than three to four years.

Catarrhal sinusitis in children is observed more often than in adults, due to the structural features of the maxillary sinus and nasal passages. In children, they are small and narrow, this complicates the outflow of exudate and leads to the accumulation of secretions in the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.

Symptoms of catarrhal sinusitis

At the initial stage, the clinical picture of the inflammatory process is identical to the respiratory disease.

After a few days, symptoms of catarrhal sinusitis appear:

• aching, throbbing pain in the maxillary sinus, which intensifies when bending forward;
• headache, aggravated by palpation, bending and turning;
• increased body temperature;
• light yellow runny nasal discharge;
• general signs of intoxication of the body (fatigue, apathy, nausea);
• violation of nasal breathing on the affected side;
• cough that worries at night or at rest.

A change in the shade of the exudate to yellow-green indicates that the inflammatory process has turned into a purulent one. With bilateral catarrhal sinusitis, the clinical picture is supplemented by the following signs:

• profuse lacrimation when the head bends;
• swelling of the lower or upper eyelids;
• bilateral breathing disorder, the patient is forced to breathe through the mouth.

Chronic sinusitis during periods of remission does not manifest itself, and during exacerbations it causes symptoms similar to acute ones, but they are less pronounced and last longer.

Diagnostics

In the development of sinusitis, the determining factor is a violation of the functional state of the mucous membrane of the maxillary sinuses. Therefore, the basis for the diagnosis of catarrhal sinusitis are methods that allow us to assess the degree of their damage.

The examination of patients with catarrhal sinusitis includes:

• ENT examination;
• general blood test;
• sinusoscopy;
• medical and diagnostic puncture of the maxillary sinus;
• X-ray examination.

Treatment of catarrhal sinusitis

Complex conservative drug therapy is carried out, which consists in the use of the following groups of drugs:

• antiseptic nasal solutions;
• vasoconstrictor, oil drops;
• sea salt solutions, saline, antiseptic solutions for rinsing the nasal passages;
• physiotherapy procedures [UHF, quartz, UFO, electrophoresis, laser heating, inhalation treatment, nasal lavage by moving liquids according to Proetz ("cuckoo")];
• antihistamines;
• anti-inflammatory drugs;
• antibiotics in the form of drops, inhalations and sprays for irrigation of the nasal mucosa;
• tableted forms of antibiotics of the cephalosporin group, macrolides or penicillins.

Complex therapy allows you to eliminate swelling of the nasal mucosa, create conditions for the evacuation of inflammatory exudate from the sinuses, normalize breathing and stop inflammation.

As a rule, the treatment of catarrhal sinusitis has a positive effect within 7-10 days. The chronic form of catarrhal sinusitis requires longer therapy.

In the absence of a positive effect from drug therapy, if the catarrhal form becomes purulent, a puncture of the maxillary sinus is indicated. During the procedure, the contents are evacuated by aspiration and the sinus is rinsed with antiseptic solutions.

Source: gorlonos.com

In cases where the puncture of the maxillary sinuses is ineffective or there are factors that constantly provoke the disease (injuries to the bones or soft tissues of the maxillary region, hypertrophy of the turbinates), minimally invasive surgical methods of treatment are used (balloon sinusoplasty, laser correction, Caldwell-Luc operation).

Complications of catarrhal sinusitis

With timely initiated and adequately carried out therapy, catarrhal sinusitis is successfully cured without causing complications. However, in the absence of timely diagnosis and quality treatment, infection may spread from the maxillary sinuses to the brain, bones, the area around the eyes (cavernous sinus thrombosis, meningitis), and the development of sepsis. Severe complications are rare, in about 1 in 10,000 cases of acute sinusitis.

Forecast

If you start treatment on time, then you can stop the inflammatory process and prevent the chronic direction of the course of the disease in 1-2 weeks with the help of complex therapy.

Prevention of catarrhal sinusitis

The complex of measures for the prevention of catarrhal sinusitis includes the following:

• hardening and health promotion procedures;
• timely treatment of colds;
• elimination of foci of infection;
• regular sanitation of the oral cavity.

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Anna Kozlova Medical journalist About the author

Education: Rostov State Medical University, specialty "General Medicine".

The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!