Is sinusitis serious in children?

Sinusitis is the medical name for an acute rhinitis, which is usually manifested by frequent runny nose in children, sometimes accompanied by fever and prolonged nasal congestion. Especially when the seasons change, the condition will get worse. Since children have relatively low immunity, they are more susceptible to illness. Is sinusitis in children serious? I believe this is a question that many parents want to ask. Let us help you solve it below.

Local symptoms: intermittent or frequent nasal congestion, runny nose is mainly purulent or mucous, often hanging on the upper lip. Sometimes the mucus flows back into the pharynx, but there is no runny nose symptom. Epistaxis may occur occasionally; headache and olfactory disturbance are less common.

Systemic symptoms: The child may be listless, irritable, have poor appetite, be thin, have poor development, low fever, etc. Because the purulent secretions in the nose flow backwards or are swallowed, the child may show symptoms of gastrointestinal dysfunction such as coughing, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Symptoms of concurrent or secondary diseases: Due to frequent nasal obstruction, children have to breathe through their mouths, which will affect the development of the cheeks and chest in the long run; children's development is not yet complete, sinusitis infection can easily spread, and the inflammation can invade adjacent organs and cause maxillary osteomyelitis, pharyngitis, chronic otitis media, inflammation, etc.; due to poor throat protection function, secretions can easily choke into the trachea and bronchi and cause lower respiratory tract infection.

The treatment of sinusitis generally adopts functional sinusitis opening surgery (opening the entire set of sinuses and clearing related complications at the same time, known as the "peri-clearing" technique). However, the narrowing of the ethmoid infundibulum, the space behind the ethmoid bulla, and the space between the disc and ethmoid recess caused by fungal sinusitis may affect the effectiveness of sinus opening and drainage, as well as the self-discharge ability of sinus secretions after surgery, and may easily cause postoperative recurrence in some patients.

However, the sinuses are a special area, so if possible, it is best to equip your child with a professional nasal washer that can clean the sinuses. Safe and thorough cleaning will have a better effect on the treatment of children's sinusitis. If you choose a tool for washing your nose with saline, you must be aware that nose washers are now listed as national medical devices. For example, electric ones must have a Class II medical device number to be sold on the market, and their safety and effectiveness must be guaranteed before they can be used with confidence.

Secondly, acupoint massage. Many parents also implement this method on their children, which has a good auxiliary effect in treating children's sinusitis.

Is sinusitis serious in children? In fact, it depends on the child’s condition. But for most children, sinusitis is quite harmful because it can also cause some complications, and once the disease occurs, children will feel uncomfortable and will have a series of reactions such as diarrhea and vomiting. Therefore, parents should pay more attention to and observe their children's situation.