What is sinusitis, worries many who at least once in their lives have suffered from this ailment. So called acute inflammation of the mucous membrane of the maxillary or maxillary sinus. Over time, it can become chronic. It is sinusitis - one of the most common reasons for seeking help from an otolaryngologist. In the whole world in the structure of the incidence of sinusitis, it is sinusitis that is in the leading positions. Usually, the disease progresses to the chronic stage in adults, and serious complications often develop in children.
Causes of occurrence
About what sinusitis is and how to deal with it, you will learn from this article. This disease develops as follows. It all starts in the so-called maxillary sinuses. So they call paired symmetrical cavities located in the upper jaw of a person. They are located between the upper alveolar processes and the bottom of the orbit. They resemble a tetrahedral pyramid in shape. These sinuses communicate with the nasal passages through the holes that are in the inner wall. They are also called anastomosis. It is this anastomosis that provides air exchange, as well as the outflow of secretion from the sinus.
The main causes of sinusitis of the nose are getting into the sinus of a certain infectious agent. This usually occurs through the anastomosis. Moreover, in juveniles, sinusitis often occurs when bacteria enter through an infectious and inflammatory focus.
The development of sinusitis
The disease is dangerous for its rapid development. Various conditions contribute to the deterioration of the state of sinusitis in adults. For example, a violation of natural ventilation and drainage of the maxillary sinus.
Because of this, polyps in the nose can occur. In the future, this condition can lead to chronic adenoiditis, hay fever and allergic rhinitis, chronic hyperplastic rhinitis. The development of sinusitis often leads to a curvature of the nasal septum, the consequences of injuries of the facial skeleton, abuse of "Nazivin", as well as other local vasoconstrictor drugs. All this is reflected in the maintenance of chronic edema of the mucous membrane.
Another reason why a person can find out what sinusitis is is a violation of the integrity of the lower wall of the maxillary sinus, which is also called alveolar. This occurs when the growth of the teeth of the upper jaw is disturbed, as well as during unprofessional dental procedures, intentional lifting of the bottom.
Sinusitis, which develops for these reasons, is called odontogenic. Sometimes this leads to the spread of inflammation from adjacent anatomical formations. This is possible, for example, with osteomyelitis, which have a different nature of origin.
How does sinusitis develop
Usually, before the development of sinusitis, the patient suffers for a long time from a runny nose. Because of this, there is swelling of the nasal mucosa, which leads to maximum narrowing of the anastomosis. All this leads to the fact that ventilation as a whole deteriorates, the level of gas exchange in the cells decreases. The acidity and composition of the mucous secretion completely changes, because it stagnates.
Because of these processes, ciliated epithelium of the walls of the maxillary sinus is damaged, and after inflammation it already covers the plate of the mucous membrane. The consequences of this are very sad. Edema in the anastomosis area aggravates the symptoms of sinusitis.
Anaerobic conditions are created in which a favorable flora arises for the active reproduction of the pathogen. In the next step, the resulting mucus suppurates under the influence of bacteria. So sinusitis passes from the catarrhal to the purulent stage, which is fraught with unpleasant consequences. The infection can spread deep into the walls of the sinus, and is transmitted to neighboring tissues.
If the treatment of sinusitis in an adult does not start on time, then it can go into a chronic form. This often occurs with self-medication, prolonged use of antibiotics, as well as the intentional refusal of surgical intervention and medications in favor of alternative methods.
Varieties of sinusitis
In the world there are several varieties of sinusitis. Depending on what type of disease you are specifically suffering from, treatment methods will also differ.
According to the main signs that establish what sinusitis is, it is divided into bacterial, aseptic, fungal, viral, odontogenic and allergic.
You can classify this disease by the methods that the doctor plans to take for treatment. Thus, sinusitis can be chronic, acute, with complications and without them.
There are several types of chronic sinusitis - purulent, catarrhal, polypous, hyperplastic, cystic and fibrous.
Symptoms of the disease
The very first calls, after which it is worth seriously suspecting that you have sinusitis, are a violation of the maxillary sinus ventilation. Because of this, there is a feeling of heaviness and pressure. Usually they are localized in one place. For example, on the side of the wing of the nose. As a result of severe swelling of the nasal mucosa, free breathing can be seriously impaired, the timbre of the voice can change.
When a child suffers from sinusitis, he has a feeling of congestion, which occurs due to swelling of tissues at the mouth of the auditory tube.
So begins sinusitis. Symptoms and treatment of sinusitis in adults are easily diagnosed by doctors. Antibiotics or surgery come to the rescue. Due to the development of inflammation, a pain syndrome soon arises. It can be a headache, the patient begins to feel uncomfortable, it can hurt even in the eye area. All this is accompanied by edema in the cheek area, the area under the eyes and the nasolabial fold.
If the nerves located near the sinus are affected, neuralgia develops, the clinical picture worsens.
Pain when tilting the head is the surest sign of sinusitis. Symptoms and treatment of sinusitis in this case should be determined by the doctor. Pain in the head appears due to the increasing pressure of the fluid on the thin front wall of the maxillary sinus. In addition, all this is accompanied by discharge from the nose of viscous mucus of a greenish color. When a person is lying on his back, the secret begins to drain to the back of the throat and provoke coughing attacks. In the morning, the discharge becomes so abundant that even yellow-green purulent clots can form.
With the development of chronic sinusitis in the patient, the sense of smell worsens, and the ability to recognize tastes decreases. During a prolonged violation of nasal breathing, the lips dry out, pharyngitis and tonsillitis are possible.
It is likely that with sinusitis symptoms of general intoxication will occur. This can be a constant headache, fever, weakness throughout the body. These symptoms are especially severe in the acute form of the disease, as well as the development of purulent inflammation. But it happens that they are noted with an exacerbation of the chronic process.
It is worth noting that there is a direct correlation between the degree of emptying of the maxillary sinus and body temperature. If washing is carried out correctly and regularly, as well as using other effective methods to eliminate pus, then this will soon lead to a relief in the general condition of a person, the temperature can significantly decrease, at least for a short time.
Complications of sinusitis
One of the main dangers that lies in the development of sinusitis is possible complications. The disease can progress with inadequate, ineffective, or untimely treatment. For example, if a child has a disease, then in the maxillary sinus he may develop meningitis, pansinusitis or phlegmon of paraorbital fiber.
Serious complications can occur in adult patients. These are otitis media, involvement in the inflammatory processes of other sinuses, neurological complications, damage to the tissues of the eye socket, on which catarrhal or purulent inflammation develops, intracranial complications. The latter include meningitis, which adults should fear as well as children, brain abscesses, sinus thrombosis, infectious toxic brain edema.
If sinusitis occurs periodically or the disease has dragged on for a long time, then this can lead to the development of bronchopulmonary diseases. Sinusitis in children is a background of bronchial obstructive conditions.
Diagnostic Methods
With any disease, it is extremely important to make a timely and correct diagnosis. Your doctor can determine this disease using a general medical history, examination by an otolaryngologist, as well as special instrumental techniques. As a rule, no additional tests are needed.
A painful condition is detected by tapping and palpating the area around the nose, and also due to swelling of the lower eyelid and cheek, the so-called adenoid type of face arises. An obligatory step in the diagnosis is the examination of the nasal cavity. In the case of the disease, edema and redness of the mucous membrane develops, these symptoms cause the most pronounced form in the middle nasal passage. Another sure sign of the disease is purulent discharge, which appears from the mouth of the affected sinus.
Instrumental diagnostic methods include x-ray, MRI, endoscopy with an examination of the nasal passages, and possibly the maxillary sinus cavity, transillumination of the sinuses, which is called diaphanoscopy.
The result of an adequately and professionally conducted diagnosis can be not only confirmation of the disease with sinusitis, but also the determination of the specific type of disease and its stage. As a result, it is possible to establish concomitant factors, as well as signs that can lead to complications. So your doctor will be able to formulate an adequate treatment plan.
Acute sinusitis
The types and causes of acute sinusitis are also described in detail in this article. This is an extremely serious disease that can lead to negative consequences and unpleasant complications.
Purulent and catarrhal forms are distinguished. With purulent sinusitis due to the constant contact of pus with the mucous membrane, the latter degenerates, which leads to the development of the chronic stage of the disease. Pain in sinusitis can be very severe.
Catarrhal sinusitis occurs in a more lightweight form. But in this case, the mucous membrane swells, becomes inflamed and increases in size. It is very important to start treatment on time and prevent the catarrhal form from turning into purulent.
Among the causes of acute sinusitis, colds, allergic reactions, all kinds of viral infections, injuries and injuries of the nose, untreated roots of the teeth and the teeth themselves, gum disease are distinguished.
Treatment methods
Nowadays, there are many ways to treat sinusitis quickly and painlessly. As you can see, there are a large number of factors and causes that can lead to this disease. Therefore, the methods and methods of treatment can be completely different.
But in most cases, the first task of any doctor is to uncork anastomosis of the maxillary sinuses, which are clogged with severe edema. Only in this case provides an outflow of pus and mucus.
Sinusitis without a puncture today can be cured effectively and painlessly. For this, there is the so-called mild antibacterial and probiotic therapy. It includes antibiotics of medium strength. An effective medicine for sinusitis is considered "Linex", "Normoflorin", "Bion-3", as well as some other drugs. They help relieve swelling as soon as possible, while performing vasoconstrictive actions.
To restore the nasal mucosa, it is recommended to use emollient drugs. These include Pinosol and Euphorbium. If you want to restore the maxillary sinus mucosa, then use "Sinupret."
Finally, "Dolphin", "Aqualor", "Aquamaris" are well suited to rid the body of inflamed masses and germs. Remember that all these drugs, and especially antibiotics, for sinusitis should be prescribed only by a doctor. A lot of factors influence this, including the patient’s personal tolerance. Among effective antiseptics, dioxidine, octenisept, miramistin and other drugs are often used.
There is also a special means of washing the paranasal sinuses, which in professional circles is called the cuckoo. This is a procedure that involves the extraction of mucopurulent masses, as well as the antibacterial and antiseptic treatment of both the nasopharynx and nasal cavity.
Another remedy for sinusitis, which helps to get rid of the disease, is physiotherapy. They resort to this method when the main pus from the maxillary sinuses is already removed. This is a kind of recovery method that helps the patient to get to their feet as quickly as possible. To do this, many effective sessions of infrared laser and vibroacoustic therapy help, as well as quartzing, which is performed for the mucous membrane of the nasal passages, in abbreviated form, this procedure is called UFO.
The most important thing is not to try to cope with sinusitis at home. Otherwise, it may result in having to resort to extreme measures. If the disease is severely neglected, it will not be possible to solve the problem with medical methods; you will have to resort to the surgical path. In this case, the attending physician prescribes a puncture to the patient. In official medical language, this procedure is called maxillary sinus puncture. Its purpose is to extract mucopurulent discharge, delivering an effective medicine to the inflamed area. As a rule, this is also an antibiotic.
Puncture of the maxillary sinus is a painful and unpleasant procedure. They resort to it only in cases where it is difficult to determine the type of sinusitis, and also when there are reasonable doubts that it is in the maxillary sinus that the cause of the patient’s disease lies.
Even today, with the most modern equipment and apparatus, situations arise when the results of studies, patient complaints or anamnesis data contradict each other. Only puncture will help the doctor understand what’s the matter, and also prescribe the right treatment.
Many are very afraid of a needle puncture by Kulikovsky, but at the moment this is the most effective measure, moreover, it is used much more often than non-surgical techniques.
Prevention
The causes, symptoms, treatment and prevention of sinusitis are described in detail in this material. The last part is devoted to prevention.
The most important thing is that it is quite possible to perform it at home. To prevent sinusitis, you need to beware of all kinds of infections. Indeed, most often it is because of them that pathogenic microflora is in the nasal cavity. This is facilitated by the inhalation of viruses and bacteria, which appear in the body along with polluted air or as a result of the most common cold. To prevent this from happening, you need to monitor the body’s defenses, protect your health, prevent hypothermia, and if necessary, immediately begin medical prophylaxis of viral diseases.
Also worth worrying about allergies. If your disease is associated with it, then you need to identify a potential allergen as soon as possible, in the future try to avoid the slightest contact with it.
Surprisingly, one of the most effective means to prevent sinusitis is water. If you are often in a room with low levels of humidity, the risk of getting sinusitis increases many times. So if such a problem is present in your home, be sure to install a humidifier, especially if children live with you. It will purify the air in the room, prevent the mucous membrane from drying out in the nasal cavity.
It is important to maintain water balance in the body itself. This can be achieved by using mineral water, fruit drinks, fruit drinks, natural juices. It is recommended to drink herbal tea.
And a few more general tips that will serve as a good prevention of this disease. Make sure that your clothes always match the season and the temperature outside the window. Try to avoid contact with carriers of the viral infection. Include enough micronutrients and vitamins in your daily diet. It is very important to observe the regime of work and rest. Sleep should be given at least eight hours a day.
To resist the entry of infection into the sinuses, try to use antiviral agents.