Sinusitis is a purulent inflammation that covers both paranasal sinuses or one of them. This disease is also called rhinosinusitis. It is dangerous with complications that can occur in cases if you do not start treating it on time. Sinusitis is especially dangerous during pregnancy, since in this situation not all methods of treatment of this disease are suitable for a woman.
During pregnancy, the body's defenses are weakened, so it is not surprising that sinusitis during the period of gestation is extremely difficult to treat. And the means used in this case will be minimal, since they can have a negative impact on the development of the fetus.
So, why does sinusitis occur during pregnancy?
Causes of sinusitis
At the first stages of pregnancy, a woman may think that she is having a runny nose, but this symptom does not mean that she is developing rhinosinusitis. This state of health is due to the fact that specific processes that are not associated with the disease occur in a woman’s body, but it is very dangerous to catch a cold during this period. This can lead to inflammation of the sinuses and the development of the above disease.
The mucous membrane of the nose during pregnancy changes, in particular, the mucus that is on its surface changes its structure, becoming more concentrated and thick. This is due to hormonal changes in the female body. In turn, it contributes to the fact that harmful viruses and bacteria that enter the body through the nose linger in it, causing the danger of a variety of diseases. Some of them begin to actively multiply in the area of the nasal sinuses and cause an inflammatory process.
Microorganisms that can cause sinusitis during pregnancy:
- viruses;
- hemophilic bacillus;
- mycoplasma;
- staphylococcus;
- streptococcus;
- chlamydia
- fungi.
It often happens that sinusitis in pregnant women is provoked not by these microorganisms, but by untreated acute respiratory diseases, the consequence of which is this ailment.
Symptoms of sinusitis during pregnancy
The main alarming symptom that is characteristic of sinusitis during pregnancy is a constant feeling that the nose is stuffy and breathing is difficult, as well as a severe headache. With the development of this disease, the symptoms become even more pronounced, and the main manifestations of sinusitis are:
- persistent nasal congestion;
- pain in the sinuses, as well as over the nose;
- secretion of a large amount of yellow-green mucus from the nose;
- headache, aggravated, as a rule, when lowering the head;
- night cough;
- unpleasant odor from the nasopharynx (in rare cases);
- temperature increase to subfebrile indicators.
The consequences of sinusitis
The consequences of sinusitis during pregnancy in some cases can be very serious. The transferred infection affects the functioning of many body systems, and advanced sinusitis can lead to deep damage to the kidneys, myocarditis, sepsis, brain abscess, rapid meningitis, etc.
Due to the fact that during this disease, the process of oxygen intake into the body of a pregnant woman is disrupted, she may experience a variety of hypoxic disorders that affect the development of the unborn child. Nasal congestion is a threat to heart muscle, blood pressure and lungs.
The progression of this disease is a direct road to surgical intervention, since it is exclusively surgical that it is possible to suppress a strong inflammatory process, freeing the sinuses from purulent contents. The operation can adversely affect the psychological state of the mother, which in turn affects the unborn child, plus, medications that will subsequently be used to treat such a patient can cause some disturbances in its development.
Diagnostics
The main difficulty in diagnosing sinusitis during pregnancy is that its symptoms are too similar to those that cause a common cold. Symptoms of rhinosinusitis may be too mild, so a pregnant woman may not suspect the presence of this disease.
To determine sinusitis, a radiography of the frontal as well as the sinuses is used, as a rule. However, it is not always possible during pregnancy to use this diagnostic method, as well as computed tomography. Thus, the following methods are used to diagnose the disease during pregnancy:
- Ultrasound examination of the nasal and frontal sinuses.
- Translucency of the maxillary sinuses - diaphanoscopy.
- Research using a thermal imager.
- Puncture of the contents of the nasal sinuses.
Puncture in this case is of great therapeutic value, since it is not only a diagnostic measure, but also a therapeutic manipulation.
Treatment for pregnant women
The use of many medications during pregnancy is excluded. Treatment with antibacterial drugs is possible only in cases where the risk of developing the negative effects of sinusitis is higher than the risk of disorders that may occur in the fetus. Such therapy, as a rule, gives quick and positive results. Nevertheless, it is possible to do without antibiotics if you consult a doctor in a timely manner.
Nasal passage
The classic way to get rid of sinusitis is to conduct hygienic procedures in the nose of a pregnant patient. By washing the nasal passages and sinuses with special solutions, their contents are removed, along with the bacteria that cause inflammation in these areas.
This procedure can be carried out independently at home, using special devices for washing the nose, for example, the Dolphin apparatus, which is a small container in the form of a clogged bottle with a tube for air intake. The patient tilts her head and fluid from this unit, by clicking on it, pours first into one nostril, then into the second. In this case, water flows from the opposite nostril, washing out stagnant mucus from the nasal passages.
As a liquid for washing the nose, you can use ordinary saline, or you can use a solution of sodium chloride or iodized. In pharmacies, you can also purchase special powders for the preparation of such solutions, which also contain salt, in particular sea salt.
Medicines for pregnant women
Medications, as already mentioned, should be used only in extreme cases and strictly as prescribed by the doctor.
These medications can be special antibacterial drugs that have a mild effect, which can be prescribed during pregnancy without any fear, since they are not able to cause a teratogenic effect. Among these drugs, antibiotics for sinusitis during pregnancy should be noted:
- "Azithromycin";
- Spiramycin
- “Augmentin”;
- third generation cephalosporin antibiotics.
To prevent the negative effects that antibiotic therapy causes, pregnant women can use medications:
- "Beefiform";
- Hilak Forte
- Linex and others.
Treatment of sinusitis during pregnancy at home should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.
Topical Medicines
For topical application, a huge amount of drugs is provided in the form of drops, sprays and ointments. They are necessary, but not every one of them can be used during pregnancy. In order to reduce swelling in the area of inflammation of the nasal sinuses, as well as normalize breathing and restore the mucous membrane, it is possible to use the following medications:
- "Nazivin";
- "For carrying";
- Otrivin;
- Otilin.
These drugs have a vasoconstrictive effect and help eliminate nasal congestion. These drugs are not recommended to be used more often twice a day, and the indicated dosages should also be observed.
In cases where a pregnant woman can do without the use of medications, these drugs are not prescribed.
How to treat sinusitis during pregnancy?
Homeopathic remedies
A good alternative to the use of antibiotics are homeopathic medicines for the treatment of sinusitis. Among the most effective of them:
- Asinis
- Euphorbium Compositum;
- Cinnabsin.
The duration of use of these drugs is determined by the doctor and depends on the degree of the disease and its form. Homeopathic medicines mainly affect the very cause of the disease - weakened immunity, therefore, medicines of a similar nature are usually used as additional methods of treatment, in combination with the main ones.
Sinus puncture
This procedure is designed to puncture the sinus and remove purulent contents from it. After a puncture, a special needle is inserted inside, through which rinsing fluid enters the nasal sinus.
After the procedure, relief is immediately felt - breathing becomes free, headaches and a feeling of pressure in the forehead and in the area of the sinuses stop.
Treatment of sinusitis during pregnancy with folk remedies
Traditional medicine that can prevent and cure a disease such as sinusitis includes:
- Flushing the nose with infusion of chamomile or calendula flowers.
- Infusion of grass cuff ordinary.
- Infusions of peppermint and burdock herbs.
- A decoction of grass sorrel horse.
- Infusion of grape leaves.
All of the above funds are used to rinse the sinuses according to similar methods at home. Do not neglect the means of traditional medicine, because sometimes, apart from them, you can’t use anything else during pregnancy, and the effect of their use is no less positive than from many drugs of chemical origin.
Reviews of sinusitis during pregnancy
Reviews of women are contradictory. Someone claims that it turned out to quickly cope with the ailment, while someone has a sinusitis has developed into a chronic form. In some cases, alternative treatment helps very well, sometimes the result is rather weak.