Sinusitis is a serious health problem for children, especially if it is neglected. In some cases, sinusitis can lead to severe complications that require hospitalization. There are also extreme situations in which the child with sinusitis out of control can lose his sight.
Sinusitis can prove torturous for children PHOTO The truth
Sinusitis is a condition that involves inflammation of the nasal sinuses, following a cold, an allergy or a blockage in that area. The sinuses have several roles, from amplifying the voice, protecting the airways, to humidifying the air we breathe or protecting the eyes. When they become inflamed, especially the paranasal ones, located around the eyes and nose, it becomes a serious problem. They give me headaches, stuffy noses and difficulty breathing, fatigue, altered taste and smell, but also pressure and pain in the ears. When the sinuses become blocked and infected, purulent discharge, fever and specialist treatment are definitely needed, usually with antibiotics. In children, sinusitis manifests itself noisier and is much more dangerous than in adults, which can lead to extremely serious complications.
Sinusitis in children, different from that in adults
Sinusitis in children manifests itself differently precisely because of the incomplete development of the sinuses. The maxillary and ethmoid sinuses are present from birth, but the other two types of sinuses, frontal and sphenoid appear between 7 and 14 years of age. This is precisely why the child up to the age of 7 is more sensitive in the sinus area and is affected more quickly and with stronger symptoms. Especially since these sinusitis occur most of the time as a secondary complication of a viral infection or a strong allergy. When inflammation and excess mucus clogs the sinuses, serious problems begin.
If the sinuses become superinfected and it is bacterial, antibiotic treatment is needed, and in more serious cases, surgical intervention is required. The most vulnerable to sinusitis is the child in the first years of life. Viruses, allergies and bacteria attack the sinus area. Sinusitis in a child can be acute, that is, it lasts less than 10 days, and clear signs of healing are observed, or chronic, when the inflammation lasts more than three months and shows no signs of improvement. Symptoms of sinusitis in children are as follows: a cold lasting more than 10 days, fever, yellow or greenish nasal discharge for three days in a row, bad breath, post-nasal discharge, nausea, headache (in older children six years), tiredness or inflammation around the eyes.
Very serious sequelae in children
ENT doctor Codrin Grozavu, from the Department of Pediatrics of the “Mavromati” Botoșani County Hospital, says that sinusitis is a very serious problem in children. Especially since there are many cases in which the complications suffered lead to the need for hospitalization.Sinusitis is a big problem in children, especially because very often, and now we have a hospitalized case, it is complicated by inflammatory phenomena at the level of the orbit and at the level of the eye which can be very, very serious and we have to treat them as such”says doctor Codrin Grozavu. In other words, it is possible for the sinus infection, especially in young children, to attack the eye. And that’s because the ethmoid sinus is separated from the orbit only by the lamina papyrecia, that is, a thin layer of bone.
That is precisely why sinusitis, ignored or improperly treated, including only with baby remedies, without a specialist consultation, especially in small children, can leave devastating consequences. “They can leave sequelae up to the loss of vision, of the eye, if timely action is not taken and we do not do what needs to be done quickly“, adds Codrin Grozavu. In very rare cases, sinusitis can cause an infection in the brain. More specifically, the sinus infection can spread to the membranes and fluids around the brain and spine. Very serious complications are signaled by eye pain, cranial nerve paralysis, focal neurological deficit.
Nose blowing, the best prevention
At the same time, the doctor from Botošan says that the best prevention method is regular cleaning of the child’s nose, precisely to avoid blockages, to eliminate microorganisms. “It is very important in ENT conditions to blow the child’s nose very well. This maneuver usually protects the child from the appearance of conditions in the ORL sphere“, states Codrin Grozavu.
