As you know, the nose performs a number of important functions in the life of the human body: respiratory and olfactory, tear and protective. The paranasal sinuses, similar to caves filled with air and connected to the nasal cavity, give rise to the respiratory tract. Paranasal or maxillary sinuses are called maxillary sinuses. A person has two of them: left and right. When they are inflamed, the diagnosis is sinusitis.
The maxillary sinus, its location
The maxillary, or maxillary sinuses, are also called the airway. It lies in the thickness of the cranial bones on the right and left sides of the nose. Inside each sinus there is a mucous membrane with vascular plexuses located in it, nerve endings and mucous glands. They open into the nasal cavity with a special hole called the anastomosis. The maxillary sinuses, the location of which is bilateral in nature, are not the only ones in the paranasal space. In addition to them, there are others:
- Two frontal, located in the thickness of the forehead bone, above the orbits.
- Two ethmoid sinuses are located in the nasal passage from above and serve to separate the nasal cavity from the brain.
- One wedge-shaped, located at the base of the skull in the thickness of the sphenoid bone.
The communication of the paranasal sinuses with the nasal cavity occurs along the small tubules and openings. Through them also cleansing and ventilation. If these openings are closed, microbes accumulate in the sinus, and the inflammatory process begins - sinusitis (sinusitis).
Signs of the disease
- Purulent discharge from the nose, with a fetid odor.
- Headaches worse in the evening.
- Nasal congestion, which makes breathing very difficult.
- Bad breath.
- Fatigue, weakness, insomnia.
- Loss of appetite.
- Swelling of the face.
- Fever.
Sinusitis may occur some time after a viral disease. Often caries with molars are the cause of inflammation, in which the maxillary sinus hurts.
Sinusitis: causes
They cause inflammation of the maxillary sinus bacteria, viruses, fungal infections and allergic reactions of the body to food, medicine, plants, animals, etc. When the fistula swells, the outflow of mucus into the nasal cavity is disrupted, and the causative agents of the disease begin to multiply. This leads to the development of the inflammatory process, which covers the maxillary sinuses. Their location is bilateral, therefore, inflammation can be in one or both sinuses: right or left. If a person feels anxiety on the left side of the nose, then this may indicate that the left maxillary sinus is inflamed, and vice versa. The causes of sinusitis can be:
- Hypothermia of the body.
- Addiction to bad habits.
- Decreased immunity.
- Feature of the structure of the nose: the nasal septum may be curved.
- Passion for water sports (for example, scuba diving).
- Chronic infection in the body in the form of caries, tonsillitis or rhinitis.
- Allergy.
- This disease can develop if the ARI or the common cold were improperly or untimely treated.
Sinusitis is seasonal in nature and is characterized by two peaks of incidence. The first of them falls on the period from February to March, the second lasts from August to September.
Dimming: what does the x-ray say?
Dimming of the maxillary sinuses is a symptom detected during x-rays. A radiologist may suggest sinusitis if he sees a shadow in the image in the accessory formations. Radiography is prescribed in order to detect swelling and the presence or absence of accumulated pus in the sinuses.
During an X-ray examination for sinusitis, the doctor sees in the picture a dimming of the maxillary sinuses in the upper horizontal level. If the disease is at the initial stage of development, an x-ray may show a slight accumulation of fluid.
Forms of sinusitis
The following forms of this disease are distinguished:
- Acute sinusitis - characterized by fever, nasal congestion, sensation of pain under the eyes. With this form of sinusitis, green mucous discharge from the nose is observed.
- Chronic sinusitis - characterized by a cough that does not go away, no matter what it is treated. It intensifies, usually at night. This form of sinusitis is also accompanied by nasal congestion, recurring rhinitis, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye.
Varieties of acute sinusitis
Acute sinusitis is of two main types:
- Purulent - characterized by accumulation of pus in the sinuses and their subsequent excretion.
- Catarrhal - with a disease of this type of sinusitis, the mucous membrane of the sinus is inflamed, and a gray liquid content forms in it, which also flows out.
The inflammatory process can capture the maxillary sinuses. The location of the foci of inflammation on both sides of the nose is called bilateral acute sinusitis. Inflammation on the right side is called acute right-sided sinusitis.
Left-sided sinusitis
The cause of this disease can be non-treated colds, flu, acute respiratory infections, etc. The left maxillary sinus may become inflamed if a person is constantly blowing wind from the left side or air conditioning. The cause of this ailment is also a disease of the teeth in the upper left part of the mouth. The causative agent of the disease can be Staphylococcus aureus. If the human body is depleted, hypothermic and weakened by viral infections, staphylococcus affects it. Other harmful microorganisms may join Staphylococcus aureus. If they combine in one place, then the effect on the body of the main pathogen will increase. It is very dangerous not only for health, but also for life in general.
Maxillary sinus, thickening
Thickening of the maxillary sinuses can occur for various reasons. To date, they are not exactly installed. Doctors suggest that the maxillary sinuses may increase in thickness due to previous infections and colds, allergies, hypothermia, and many other factors. Doctors prescribe treatment based on antiallergic drugs such as Cetrin and vasoconstrictor Ascorutin. To remove purulent fluid from the nasal cavity, washing is done. The nose must be buried. Drops can be used: Vibrocil, Nazonex, Aldetsin and others. They bring relief of inhalation and warming up in cases when the pus leaves the sinus.
Lavage of the maxillary sinuses
During colds, mucus forms. She goes out through the maxillary and frontal sinuses, but not all. Part of it remains and turns into hard crusts, which over time fill the sinuses. A dense mass forms on which microbes multiply. The result of the process of their vital activity is a purulent mass, with which the maxillary sinuses are filled.
A person's head begins to hurt, he loses his sight and smell, hears hard and he remembers. All ailments, as a rule, people attribute to other diseases. Very often, having come to the doctor, the patient does not even know where the maxillary sinuses are located, and what they are. If, after the examination, the presence of the disease was confirmed, then it will be necessary to cleanse the maxillary and frontal sinuses from the compressed jelly-pus. To do this, go through the following steps:
- Emollient steam or water baths to warm the head. The procedure should not take more than five minutes. After it, the head is rinsed with cold water. It is necessary to do 3-5 procedures. Pus from a solid state turns into a liquid.
- The next step is to remove the pus. To do this, rinse the maxillary sinuses with a liquid. Use sea water, saline or your own warm urine. Washing is done as follows: a small plastic tube 3-4 cm long is put on the syringe without a needle. Then it is carefully inserted into the nasal opening. The head should be tilted over the sink. Under pressure of the syringe, water under pressure enters the nasal passage and the maxillary sinus. There is a liquefaction of pus and its removal into the nasal cavity. Remember that abrupt pressure on the syringe plunger can cause water to enter the ear canal. And this, in turn, can cause otitis media. So, in the described way, the maxillary sinuses are washed alternately several times. Such procedures are carried out daily for three days in the morning and evening. It is better to use sterile solutions for washing the nose: “Aqualor”, “Aquamaris”, “Marimer”, “Humer” and others with special autonomous nozzles.
The maxillary sinuses: treatment by heating
To remove the purulent fluid, the maxillary sinuses are washed. Inflammation, the treatment of which should be continued by warming, will pass more quickly. But, you can warm up if the pus began to depart without problems. If this did not happen, then categorically it is impossible to warm the inflamed places! First, the sinuses are rubbed with an “Asterisk”. To enhance the action of the balm, they are warmed up, for which they use a blue lamp, a bag of salt or flax seed. Regular cleansing and frequent warming not only improve the patient's condition, but also completely cure purulent acute sinusitis.
Sinusitis: nasal instillation treatment
A characteristic feature of this disease is nasal congestion. To eliminate it and facilitate breathing, use drops of menthol oil or tea tree oil.
Enough 3-5 drops in each nasal opening. You can oil your nose, forehead and temples. As necessary, when the nose is heavily blocked, drops are used for relief: Nazivin, Dlinos.
Treatment of sinusitis by inhalation
- Pour half a teaspoon of propolis tincture into a small amount of boiled water (two to three liters). Next, put it in front of you, undress to the waist, cover yourself with a warm blanket or towel, bend over the pan and breathe. This procedure is best done every evening for seven days.
- Boil the potatoes in their skins, drain the water and breathe over the steam, covering with a blanket. Before the procedure, you need to warm up well in the bathroom. This should be done in the evenings for two weeks.
Swab Treatment
Cotton swabs are often used to treat maxillary sinuses. Location them on both sides of the nose involves the use of a tampon specifically for the sinus in which the inflammatory process is going on. This is done as follows: thin tubes are twisted from sterile cotton and impregnated with a solution of one teaspoon of propolis and three teaspoons of vegetable oil. To wet the swab, you can use a 1% solution of Glazolin or Naphthyzine, 2% solution of Efidrin. Tampons are placed in the nose twice a day for 5 minutes. The procedure relieves swelling and has a disinfecting effect. When treating sinusitis, you need to drink a lot of fluids: tea, compote, fruit drinks, mineral water without gas. This is due to the fact that during the illness a person loses a large amount of fluid, and with it - and salt. Such losses must be made up for without fail.
How is sinusitis treated?
- This disease is characterized by an inflammatory process that provokes maxillary sinus edema. It clogs the ducts from the nasal cavity into the sinus, where an accumulation of pus forms. First you need to normalize the process of its outflow. This is done by vasoconstrictive sprays and drops: Otilin, Nazivin, Dlinos. These drugs quickly relieve swelling of the maxillary sinuses. But, they are not recommended for more than five days, since atrophy of the nasal mucosa can occur.
- After the outflow of purulent fluid from the nose is normalized, treatment is carried out with antibiotics: Augmentin, Azithromycin, Cephalosporin. If a person is allergic to the penicillin series, they are prescribed Macrolides or Tetracycline.
- The arsenal of modern medicine has a large number of antibiotics for the treatment of sinusitis without side effects. If this disease arose due to deformation of the nasal septum or tooth caries, primary diseases must be cured.
- In case of urgent need, the sinus is punctured, and an antibiotic solution is injected into its cavity, which dilutes the pus and removes it from the sinus.
- When conservative treatment does not give positive results, surgical is used.
Sinusitis in children
To distinguish sinusitis in a child from an ordinary cold, you need to pay attention to certain points. When the maxillary sinuses are inflamed, children have a nasal congestion alternately on the right or on the left side. Whereas during a common cold, both nostrils are always blocked.
With inflammation of the maxillary sinuses, the child feels dull pain, he does not leave a feeling of heaviness in the sinus area. He constantly blows his nose, but this brings relief only for a short time. If you gently press a point in the center of the cheek and from the side of the inner corner of the eye, the child will immediately complain of pain.
When a cold lasts more than a week, and after 5-7 days a temperature suddenly appears, parents should be alerted and made to show their child to the doctor. If this is not done on time, the maxillary sinuses can be damaged. Inflammation, the treatment of which should be started immediately, can lead to headache, malaise, and weakness.
During swallowing, sore throat, dryness may appear. Body temperature may remain normal or rise to 37.9 degrees. The most pronounced symptom of the disease is a persistent cough at night, which is not amenable to any treatment. Timely examination, accurate diagnosis and correctly prescribed by the doctor therapy will save the child from sinusitis.