Sinusitis Symptoms and Methods of Its Treatment

Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the paranasal sinuses (sinuses) is called sinusitis. This disease occurs against the background of allergic reactions or due to the action of infectious pathogens (fungi, bacteria, viruses).

With the flow of sinusitis is classified into two types: acute and chronic. Sinusitis with acute course most often occurs as a result of allergic reactions or after ARI (acute respiratory viral infection). The duration of such sinusitis is from two to three weeks. If the symptoms of acute sinusitis do not disappear for three months, then chronic sinusitis develops .

What are the sinuses? Sinuses are the paranasal sinuses that are localized in the bones of the skull and communicate with the nasal cavity. There are 4 pairs of air cavities: frontal, maxillary, etmoid, sphenoidal.

Frontal (frontal) sinuses are localized in the eyebrow area. Inflammation of these sinuses is called a frontitis.

Maxillary (maxillary) sinuses are located inside the upper jaw between the upper teeth and the lower edge of the eye sockets, their inflammation is called a sinusitis.

The ethmoidal (latticed labyrinth) sinuses have an anatomical arrangement behind the nose between the eyes. With inflammation of the mucosa there is development of etmoidite.

Sphenoidal (wedge-shaped) sinuses are localized behind the ethmoidal sinuses. When their inflammation develops sphenoiditis.

It should be said that the inflammatory process can be localized in one of the sinuses or at once in several. Most often, the inflammatory process involves maxillary, frontal and etmoidal sinuses, much less often sphenoidal.

Sinusitis: symptoms and methods of treatment

Typically, the disease "sinusitis" symptoms occur against the background of common clinical signs of colds (general weakness, malaise, hyperthermia). It is necessary to pay attention that the disease "sinusitis" symptoms is almost identical for its different forms.

When diagnosed as acute sinusitis, symptoms appear in the form of purulent, greenish-yellow discharge of nose, headache and facial pain, fever, weakened sense of smell, severe dry cough that occurs during the night. Sections of the skin over inflamed sinuses are hyperemic.

If the doctor has diagnosed "chronic sinusitis," his symptoms will be slightly different from the signs of this disease in the acute form of the flow. The clinical picture in chronic sinusitis is not as pronounced, although it can manifest itself for a long time. With the disease "sinusitis" the symptoms of chronic inflammation may disappear for a while, and then manifest again. In general, this type of sinusitis is characterized by periodic purulent discharge from the nasal cavity, periodically arising headache and facial pain, frequent recurrences of acute respiratory infections.

When diagnosing "sinusitis", the doctor determines the symptoms by the patient's questionnaire, his appearance and the available results of the tests. This largely determines the choice of treatment regimen. Therapy is aimed at eliminating infectious agents, normalizing drainage and ventilation of the paranasal sinuses. Symptomatic therapy is used to treat sinusitis . In the case of colds, colds doctors recommend in the cold season to refrain from walking. To facilitate nasal congestion, specialists prescribe inhalations and warm baths with essential oils (mint, eucalyptus, pine, etc.). When the body temperature rises, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory, antibacterial agents are used.

However, the use of vasoconstrictive drugs is at the heart of the treatment of sinusitis. By eliminating the edema of the nasal mucosa, nasal breathing is restored and the ventilation of the paranasal sinuses is normalized. But these drugs can not be used for more than five to seven days. The most safe for children are drugs that contain xylometazoline.

When conservative methods of treatment are ineffective, radical (surgical intervention) is used. A radical method of treatment consists in piercing (puncture) the inflamed paranasal groove, followed by drainage and removal of the expanding mucosa.