Complications can be encountered if the child has sinusitis

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Nam Phong - Pediatrician - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology, Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital

Sinusitis in children is a common disease. Children often develop sinusitis after the respiratory infection exceeds the acute level and the disease worsens and persists. Sinusitis in children, if left untreated, is likely to recur or become chronic.

Sinuses are hollow cavities located inside the craniofacial mass. The mucosa lining the sinuses is a layer of soft tissue. This mucosal layer is filled with air and is clean. When these sinuses become clogged with secretions, bacteria can grow leading to sinusitis.

Sinusitis in children often appears after the child has an acute upper respiratory tract infection. After about 5-7 days, the symptoms of respiratory infections often worsen with manifestations such as:
High fever; Breath is smelly; Stuffy nose; Runny nose, yellow or green nasal discharge; Drainage in the back of the throat (postnasal drip); Pain, headache, facial area, behind the eye socket; Loss of smell. Sinusitis can be divided into 3 types:
Short-term (acute): symptoms of this type of infection last less than 12 weeks and go away with proper treatment. Long-term (chronic): these symptoms last for more than 12 weeks. Recurrence: the infection will recur over and over again. Means 3 or more episodes of acute sinusitis in a year.

Although it does not affect the child's health much, but if left untreated, sinusitis can cause complications such as:
Meningitis; Sepsis ; Vision loss, if severe, may cause blindness due to damage to the optic nerve; Hearing loss due to repeated otitis media; Pharyngitis, laryngitis , bronchitis, tonsillitis ; Digestive disorders.

To diagnose sinusitis in children, doctors will rely on the clinical symptoms as outlined above. In addition, the doctor can let the child perform a number of paraclinical techniques to strengthen the diagnosis such as:
Nasal endoscopy: in patients with sinusitis, when examining the nose, there is a lot of mucus on both sides of the nasal cavity. thick, flowing from the posterior nasopharynx to the pharynx, the nasal mucosa is edematous. Blondeau and Hirtz position X-ray: shows blurred sinus images, thickened sinus mucosa and air-fluid levels in the sinuses. CT Scan helps to clearly see the damaged sinus mucosa and changes in the anatomical structure of the sinuses, thereby helping doctors orient in surgery, this method is especially meaningful in pediatric patients with inflammation. Chronic sinus requires surgical intervention. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), sinus ultrasound helps diagnose sinus diseases. Take samples from the nasal sinuses, nasopharyngeal and nasopharynx to culture bacteria and make antibiotic charts.

Keep the house clean, the surrounding living environment is well ventilated; Limit the use of air conditioners directly on children; Avoid exposing children to cigarette smoke, or places with a lot of dust, pollution; Wear masks for children when going out; When children are sick, they should take them to the doctor and coordinate with the doctor to adhere to the treatment regimen, to prevent serious respiratory diseases that cause complications that cause the child to have sinusitis; Do not arbitrarily give drugs to children or stop taking them without a doctor's prescription; You can use physiological saline or sea water to clean your child's nose every day, especially after coming home from outside. Sinusitis in children, if left untreated, can cause dangerous complications in the eyes, ears, and throat. Therefore, parents need to monitor the signs and promptly take their children to the doctor to prevent these complications.