In the article we will consider acute and chronic sinusitis. What is this pathology?
Sinusitis is an inflammation that affects one or more of the paranasal sinuses. Pathology can occur in the form of an independent disease or in the form of a specific complication against the background of a particular disease of an infectious nature. Acute sinusitis is one of the most common pathologies encountered by otolaryngologists in their work. Depending on the duration of the disease, medicine divides the disease into acute and chronic forms.
Diagnosis of acute sinusitis is determined by bacterial or fungal infections of the paranasal sinus. At the same time, the formation of the disease occurs rapidly, which in turn significantly increases the likelihood of various complications. In our article, we will consider what acute sinusitis is, and also find out what symptoms it usually accompanies and find out what it should betreatment of this disease.
Forms of illness
There are several types of pathology:
Acute form of sinusitis. It develops due to complications after a viral or bacterial infection. There are severe pains in the sinus area, aggravated by turning and tilting the head. Painful sensations, subject to adequate treatment, usually last no more than a week. There is a high temperature of 38-38.5 ° C, fever. The nose is stuffed up, there is a change in the voice - nasality. With proper therapy, the mucous membrane is completely restored in about 1 month
- Subacute form. At the same time, a milder clinical picture and the duration of the disease up to two months can be noted. The patient has had mild symptoms of sinusitis for a long time, similar to the common cold. If no therapeutic measures are taken, then the subacute form becomes chronic.
- Chronic form. Poorly treatable, and the disease lasts for several years. It develops due to improper therapy or its complete absence. We are talking about odontogenic, polyposis and fungal sinusitis. Scanty symptoms are observed, while nasal discharge is not abundant, but they are constantly present, the pain is unexpressed and dull, and fever is usually absent. Chronic sinusitis can periodically worsen and give symptoms of an acute form.
- Hyperplastic (mixed) form of pathology. It combines different types - both purulent and allergic sinusitis. Due to the allergic processthere is an overgrowth of the mucous membrane, polyps can also develop, blocking the anastomosis between the nasal cavity and the sinus.
Clinical manifestations of sinusitis are defined and divided according to the localization of inflammation. So, the following varieties of this disease are distinguished:
- Development of sinusitis. The most common type of sinusitis is sinusitis. Unpleasant sensations, along with pain, appear in the region of the upper jaw, flowing into the teeth. Against this background, an increase in pain in the evening is especially characteristic, which fade during sleep.
- The appearance of the frontal. Pain due to the development of frontal sinusitis is localized, as a rule, in the forehead area and usually increases in the morning hours.
- Formation of ethmoiditis. Pain in this form of the disease accumulates in the region of the bridge of the nose and lasts throughout the day.
- Development of sphenoiditis. Pain in this case occurs in the back of the head, their intensification occurs throughout the night.
Advanced acute sinusitis can cause serious complications that can manifest as meningitis, cavernous sinus thrombosis and retrobulbar abscesses.
Manifestations of pathology
One of the special cases of sinusitis is sinusitis. Each person has several paranasal sinuses available: maxillary, frontal, sphenoid and ethmoid cavities. Each of them has a peculiar slimy structure from the inside, and all of them are united together by the presence of a channel scheme.
What is dangerous spicymaxillary sinusitis?
In the event that, for one reason or another, the development of the inflammatory process begins, swelling of the mucous membrane will occur, which, in turn, will block the channels that connect the sinuses with the nasal cavity. Such a phenomenon will lead to the development of stagnation, and at the same time, the process of bacterial reproduction will also be activated along with the formation of pus. With such a lesion of the maxillary sinus, patients are diagnosed with sinusitis, and in the event that there are problems in the frontal cavity, they will be diagnosed with frontal sinusitis. Consider further the main causes of this disease.
Main causes of disease
One of the main causes of acute sinusitis is poorly treated and neglected rhinitis. In addition, an acute respiratory viral infection can serve as a trigger for the development of the disease. Diseases that develop as a result of a respiratory infection of the upper respiratory tract, as a rule, are called community-acquired forms.
Acute sinusitis itself is not contagious, and it cannot be spread from person to person. This cannot be said about bacteria with viruses, because they can be picked up anywhere in cold weather. And in the event that immunity is weakened or there is a predisposition to diseases of the upper respiratory tract, such bacteria can gradually transform into sinusitis. In this regard, in order not to get infected, you need to think in advance abouthardening and prevention. The following causes usually contribute to the formation of acute sinusitis:
- The presence of a severe runny nose, which is often a manifestation of chronic rhinitis.
- The presence of a diseased tooth in the oral cavity.
- The appearance of abdominal polyps.
- Presence of adenoids.
- Injuries of varying severity, due to which there is a violation of the outflow of mucous exudate.
- Congenital abnormalities of the nasal septum.
Now find out what symptoms usually accompany the development of acute sinusitis in adults.
First signs of disease development
For sinusitis, the manifestation of obvious signs of the disease is typical, which makes it possible to diagnose it independently, even without anyone's help, in ordinary home conditions. The severity of signs in adults and children has some features.
In an adult, the symptoms of acute sinusitis are manifested by the presence of very strong painful sensations. And the child may not notice the pathology for a long time and therefore not complain about it. This is primarily due to the fact that children's sinuses fully develop only by the age of eighteen, and up to this point they have a much smaller volume. Otherwise, the symptoms are very similar. So, let's highlight some of the symptoms of acute sinusitis in a child and in an adult:
- The presence of a prolonged runny nose, lasting for a long time. Such a sign can cause a lot of inconvenience and anxiety.sick and often flows with yellow or green discharge mixed with pus, and sometimes you can even notice blood clots.
- Stuffy nose. The nose of the patient is constantly in a stuffy state, and only very rarely is it possible to pierce one nostril in order to be able to breathe more or less fully.
- Presence of cough. Microbes that enter the lungs with breath cause a dry, and at the same time also a painful cough, whose strength, as a rule, increases at night. The symptoms and treatment of acute sinusitis in children are often linked.
- Presence of discharge from the nose. In the morning, there may be a strong discharge of snot with a mucous structure, and, in addition, an unpleasant dryness of the nasopharynx may be felt.
- Rise in temperature. Against the background of the disease, the patient's body temperature may rise sharply, so his body will try to fight the infection.
- Problems with smell. Smell problems can occur, against the background of which a person will lose his ability to distinguish between smells and tastes.
- Appearance of edema. The face may become edematous, which in turn will be especially pronounced in the area of the affected maxillary or frontal sinus.
- Presence of a headache. Periodically, severe headaches can occur, the localization of which, as a rule, is the temporofrontal part. During any tilt or turn of the head, patients may experience a significant increase in pain.
Treatment of acute sinusitis
Treatment is carried out in three main areas:
- Carrying out infection control and elimination of inflammatory processes.
- Removal of edema and regulation of the outflow of purulent contents from the nasal sinus.
- Preventing the formation of severe consequences.
Methods with techniques used in the treatment of this disease directly depend on the severity of the disease and the number of damaged sinuses.
What else is the treatment for acute sinusitis in adults?
Use of antibiotics
In situations where sinusitis is mild or moderate, its therapy is performed at home. The main component of this treatment is the use of antibiotics to help neutralize the bacteria that caused the development of acute sinusitis.
As a rule, preference is given to broad-spectrum antibiotics, such as Amoxiclav, Augmentin and Ceftriaxone. The course of taking each of the listed drugs directly depends on various factors and is selected individually for each patient.
Use of secretolytics
Thick mucous secretion, accumulating in the paranasal sinus, disrupts its normal ventilation. The use of secretolytics makes it possible to stimulate the motor functions of tissues, improving the outflow of mucus. The most effective, and at the same time, the most popular secretolytics are drugs such as Acetylcysteine, Carbocysteine, Ambroxol. Often, phytotherapeutic drugs are prescribed for the treatment of acute sinusitis.medical preparation "Sinupret", which makes it possible not only to regulate the viscosity of the mucosal secretion, but also to reduce the edematous state of the tissue.
Anti-inflammatory drugs
Using anti-inflammatory medications to treat sinusitis reduces swelling of the nasal mucosa, eliminating nasal congestion, which helps to make breathing easier. In this case, the following procedures are used for treatment:
- Using drops and sprays. As a recommendation, patients are prescribed drops of local exposure, the use of which is capable of producing a vasoconstrictor effect. Among the general variety of drugs, one can single out funds based on substances such as oxymetazoline with xylometazoline. The effects of their influence are manifested in the temporary elimination of nasal congestion, which, in turn, helps to use other topical medications.
- Rinse the nose. The simplest method of therapy is considered to be washing the nose using a solution of furacilin in combination with sea s alt or herbal extracts. This makes it possible to free the sinuses from mucus with pus and greatly alleviates the patient's condition.
Treatment of acute sinusitis may not be limited to this.
Surgical treatment
Treatment of severe sinusitis requires a nasal puncture, which can quickly remove purulent contents from the sinuses. The principle of this procedure is as follows: the doctor makes a hole usinga special surgical needle in the soft cartilage of the nose. In the event that we are talking about sinusitis, then such an operation will be called a puncture. With the development of frontal sinusitis, a puncture is made under the eyebrow, this procedure is called trepanopuncture.
Through the resulting hole, all purulent contents are removed, the sinus is washed with an antiseptic solution. If necessary, doctors leave a small catheter in order to repeat the flushing a few more times. Sinusitis surgery is the fastest way to get rid of the disease. But after the operation, doctors must prescribe antibacterial agents to patients in order to consolidate the achieved result.
We covered the symptoms and treatment of acute sinusitis.
What are the complications?
Doctors identify the following possible complications of this disease:
- The appearance of a bone and cranial disease. The progression of acute forms of the disease can involve not only the sinuses, but also various intracranial structures in pathological processes.
- Development of eye disease. The accumulation of a significant amount of purulent mass leads to complications such as phlegmon with abscesses of the eyeballs, which can later cause loss of vision.
- Appearance of problems with the vascular system. In the event that there is no necessary treatment, thrombosis of cavernous sinusitis may occur, which will lead to the development of coma. In addition, there are well-known cases in which acutesinusitis led to blood poisoning and sepsis.
In closing
Thus, any disease is much easier to prevent than later to spend energy on fighting it. The timely elimination of various nasal defects, along with the observance of the rules of oral hygiene and the increase in the protective functions of the immune system, will make it possible to prevent the onset of the disease and its unpleasant complications.
Symptoms and treatment of acute sinusitis in adults and children now known.
