What should parents do when their child has sinusitis?

Sinusitis is considered a fairly common disease today and can be encountered at any age, including children. Parents because they do not detect the disease early because the symptoms of sinusitis in children are quite similar to the common colds, so they have many dangerous complications.

Sinusitis in children, if detected early and treated in time, will help protect the baby's health. It is essential that parents understand the characteristics and nature of the disease to prevent their children before the disease appears and worsens. The following article will share many useful information about this disease.

The cause of sinusitis

Sinuses are four sets of hollow cavities located in the upper jaw bone, including the frontal sinus, the sinus sinus, the maxillary sinus, and the butterfly sinus. These four sinuses share the same mucosal structure and resemble the mucosa that covers the nose and mouth.

When a child has a cold or an allergy , the nasal mucosa is swollen and more mucus secretes, so does the sinus tissue. When the nostrils (front or back) are blocked, mucus becomes clogged in the sinuses. Bacteria, viruses, and fungi will grow in the sinuses and cause sinusitis.

Symptoms of the disease

Sinusitis can cause a variety of symptoms for children of all ages. Younger children often have cold-like symptoms including a stuffy or runny nose and a low fever. If your child develops a fever 5−7 days after having a cold, it could be a sign of a sinus infection or another type of infection (eg, bronchitis, pneumonia or ear infections). Need to take your baby to the doctor to be examined immediately.

Many parents confuse the headache of a cold in a child as sinusitis. But in children under 6−7 years of age, the sinuses have not yet begun to develop and they are not constructed enough to become infected until the child is 10 years old. Therefore, headaches in children with colds are usually not signs of sinusitis.

In older children or adolescents, the most common symptom of sinusitis is a cough that doesn't go away after 7 days with symptoms of a cold, fever, mild mucosal congestion, bad breath, pain. dental pain, earache or feeling of heaviness in the face. Occasionally, adolescents with sinus infections also present with stomachache, nausea, headache, and back ear pain.

How to prevent illness for children

Small changes in lifestyle or living environment can help reduce the child's risk of developing sinus infections. For example, when a child has a cold, parents should keep the indoor air moist enough. Moisture helps protect the sinuses and prevent the baby from having a runny nose. In addition, parents should give their children enough water to have the same effect.

In addition, parents should keep the house clean, free of allergens such as cigarette smoke, pet hair, and dust because these can irritate the nose and cause sinusitis. Although sinusitis is not contagious, it often shows signs of a flu, which is highly contagious, especially through family members or friends. The best way to prevent the spread of germs is to help everyone in the family realize the importance of frequent hand washing, especially when sick.

How to treat sinusitis

If a child is diagnosed with a viral sinus infection there is no need for medication because the viruses go away on their own without treatment. If necessary, the doctor will give the child a sufficient dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen to relieve the pain or use a warm compress on the bridge of the nose or cheeks. And remember, do not give your child any store-bought medication without consulting a doctor. Not only does this not help, but it can also be counterproductive.

Parents need to take their baby to the doctor when they see the following signs:

The flu lasted for more than 10 days and did not go away

The flu got worse after 7 days when symptoms appeared

Symptoms of allergy but not response to regular doses of allergy medications

There are symptoms such as pain, swelling in the cheeks, fever or flu that is worse than usual.

With the above sharing, hopefully parents can take care and prevent sinusitis for their babies scientifically to avoid the children having dangerous respiratory or intracranial complications in the future.