Chronic nasopharyngitis due to long-term sinusitis

The article was professionally consulted with - Specialist I, Resident Doctor Dang Thi Ngoan - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

Chronic nasopharyngitis is an inflammatory disease of the nose and throat with a long duration, progressing from acute nasopharyngitis and affecting the health and life of the patient. There are many causes of chronic nasopharyngitis.

For normal people, the nose will have facial sinuses that are responsible for absorbing oxygen as well as exchanging nutrients with the surrounding environment, besides each sinus will have a vent and a mucosal layer covering it to protect it. Protects against the entry of pathogenic bacteria. For people with chronic nasopharyngitis, bacteria have entered these locations and caused mucosal edema in these sinuses, leading to blockage of the sinus openings, which is a favorable condition for bacteria. This growth, can be anaerobic bacteria and anaerobic bacteria, the end result is fluid, pus draining down the throat causing symptoms of chronic nasopharyngitis.
Chronic nasopharyngitis is a disease with repeated manifestations after acute pharyngitis, lasting for more than 1 month and progressing to chronic nasopharyngitis. Chronic nasopharyngitis can be an inflammation of the tonsils, chronic tonsillitis, caused by bacterial and viral infections, inhalation of dust and chemicals that pollute the environment, gastroesophageal reflux or it can be due to chronic sinusitis.
With chronic nasopharyngitis due to tonsillitis often appears after episodes of sore throat, due to going to cold air areas, sleeping a lot with air conditioning or drinking a lot of cold water. Chronic nasopharyngitis due to gastro-oesophageal reflux often occurs in patients with a history of gastric disease. Chronic nasopharyngitis due to chronic sinusitis is caused by fluid from the inflamed sinuses flowing down the throat, causing the patient to feel dry and burning in the throat, stuck in the neck, dry cough and may have hoarseness in the afternoon.

The symptoms of chronic nasopharyngitis are often long-lasting, recurrent and include the following typical signs:
Sore throat, pain for a long time, pain accompanied by burning sensation, itchy, dry, stuck throat. The above symptoms often occur and are accompanied by a lot of phlegm in the throat in the morning. Cough, prolonged cough, sputum many times. Hoarseness, sometimes more severe, can lead to loss of voice. Burning sensation behind the sternum, especially for patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Systemic symptoms may include fever over 38°C, fatigue, headache...

To diagnose chronic nasopharyngitis due to chronic sinusitis or other causes, besides clinical examination and taking history, it is now also thanks to a number of paraclinical techniques such as endoscopy, CT scan. computer class... to contribute to definite diagnosis, thereby choosing appropriate measures to treat chronic nasopharyngitis.
In order to create the best conditions for an accurate diagnosis, patients need to cooperate with doctors during the examination by providing the most accurate information about their own medical condition, the most accurate symptoms. Abnormal symptoms of the body in places such as nose, throat, respiratory tract, stomach..., common symptoms encountered so that doctors can examine and treat more effectively.

After taking the history, examining and making a definite diagnosis, the patient will be treated for chronic nasopharyngitis according to appropriate regimens. There are 2 treatment directions currently being applied which are treatment according to the cause and treatment of symptoms:
4.1 Treating the cause The causes of chronic nasopharyngitis such as tonsillitis, chronic sinusitis .. . will be prescribed antibiotic treatment. Patients with chronic nasopharyngitis with a history of tobacco and alcohol use should advise the patient to quit these bad habits. In addition, the patient can be prescribed anti-edema drugs, vasoconstrictor drugs to make the openings more open, to facilitate the drainage of fluid. An important method today is washing the facial sinuses under negative pressure, called the Proetz method. This is a method performed to pull fluid and pus out of the sinuses. This method works based on the principle of communication vessels, when a volume of fluid is aspirated from the sinuses, the medicine will be inserted into the sinuses to replace it. This method is performed for about 2 weeks, the fluid and pus in the sinuses are removed significantly, helping the opening to become open, the mucosa returns to normal, no edema and continue to function. its protection. This is an effective, gentle and commonly used method today.

4.2 Symptomatic treatment For systemic symptoms such as fever, headache, cough or runny nose, and sputum production many times, it is necessary to use analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and cough suppressants for the patient. In case the patient shows symptoms such as a dirty mouth with bad breath, it is necessary to advise the patient to gargle regularly every day with physiological saline solutions. Clean the nose with physiological saline to limit secretions in the nose. Some cases also need surgical intervention for endoscopic sinus surgery such as polysinusitis, nasal polyps, sinusitis caused by fungi...
After treatment, the patient should pay attention to follow the advice. to prevent the disease from returning:
Clean the nose and throat with physiological saline solution to prevent inflammation from occurring. Do not eat food that is too hot or too cold. If you have unusual symptoms such as stuffy nose, sore nose, earache, etc., you need to go to a medical facility for examination and monitoring. . Chronic nasopharyngitis caused by chronic sinusitis or other causes, if not treated in time, will lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, acute bronchitis, or may lead to cancer. Therefore, when there are any signs of nasopharyngitis, patients need to see a doctor immediately for timely diagnosis and treatment.
Vinmec International General Hospital examines and treats common nasopharyngitis diseases, head and neck tumors, congenital malformations of the ear, nose and throat area with the most optimal internal and surgical methods for patients, both children and adults. Coming to Vinmec International General Hospital, patients will receive a direct, dedicated and professional examination from a team of qualified and experienced medical staff.