Sinusitis symptoms, complications and treatment. Medical blog

Sinuses

There are 4 pairs of paranasal sinuses in the human skull: maxillary, frontal, sphenoid and ethmoid. There is no consensus on their purpose in modern medicine, but it is generally accepted that their role is as follows:

• reducing the mass of the skull;
• providing an anti-shock "buffer" for various injuries;
• warming and humidifying the inhaled air and protecting sensitive areas (eyeballs, tooth roots) from temperature fluctuations;
• in addition, they are a kind of sound resonators, forming the individual sound of a person's voice.

Diseases associated with the development of an inflammatory process in the paranasal sinuses are called sinusitis, one of the types of which is sinusitis.

Maxillary sinuses

The maxillary sinuses are paired cavities that are paranasal sinuses, located with both sides of it and occupy almost the entire area of the maxillary bone, which, by the way, is associated with another name for sinusitis - maxillary sinusitis.

In a normal state, the maxillary sinuses, like the rest of the sinuses, are filled with air. On the inner wall of each of them there is a narrow opening (excretory anastomosis) connecting the sinus with the nasal cavity. Through this opening, air penetrates into the sinus from the nasal cavity, with which pathogenic microorganisms can be delivered.

From the bottom, they are very close to the roots of the upper back teeth and are sometimes separated from them only by a thin mucous membrane. In this regard, any inflammation in these teeth can easily spread to the area of the maxillary sinus.

From the inside, each cavity is lined with a mucous membrane, in which, in fact, the development of the inflammatory process in acute sinusitis begins. If the disease progresses and becomes chronic, deeper layers gradually begin to be involved in the process: the submucosa, and then the bone tissue of the sinus walls.

How does sinusitis occur

Usually sinusitis occurs against the background of an untreated runny nose as a complication of the flu or other infectious diseases. The second most common cause is an inflammatory process in the area of the roots of the four upper back teeth.

Penetrating the maxillary sinus through the nasal cavity or with the bloodstream, a bacterial or viral infection causes inflammation in it, resulting in swelling of the mucous membrane. Due to the swelling, the opening connecting the sinus with the nasal cavity closes, the outflow of contents and ventilation stops. As a result, against the background of the developing infection, pus and microbial toxins accumulate in the sinus, which damage the mucous membrane. As the immune system weakens, acute sinusitis progresses and gradually becomes chronic.

Symptoms of sinusitis

With acute sinusitis, the symptoms of a lingering runny nose are joined by pain and a feeling of pressure in the area of the affected sinus, forehead and nose, which are noticeably intensified by lowering the head or pressing. One of the classic symptoms of this disease is a sharp or nagging headache with nasal congestion. The pain can cover the cheekbones, forehead, sometimes the temple, and can spread to half the face or its entire surface. Sinusitis is often manifested by acute toothache on the corresponding side of the upper jaw that intensifies when chewing. Nasal discharge becomes more viscous and cloudy, with an admixture of pus, and a nasal tone appears in the voice. Frequent coughing fits may be observed. The sense of smell and the ability to perceive the taste of food are reduced.

Acute sinusitis is also often accompanied by an increase in body temperature, fatigue, weakness, sleep and appetite disturbances, as well as photophobia, lacrimation, swelling in the eyelids or cheeks.

Complications of sinusitis

In the case of late or incorrectly prescribed treatment for sinusitis, there is a high risk of developing severe complications.

Since the maxillary sinuses are located in close proximity to the eyes and membranes of the brain, there is a possibility of the spread of the inflammatory process to these areas. Thus, the greatest danger to the health and even life of the patient is intracranial complications, including thrombosis of the cavernous sinus, meningitis and brain abscesses. In some cases, the infection from the affected sinus spreads to the eye socket, the tissues that fill it, and the membranes of the eyeball, which can result in periostitis of the eye socket, phlegmon and abscess of the eye socket, a sharp decline in vision, and even blindness.

Also, with acute sinusitis, there is a risk of developing neuritis of the trigeminal nerve, the branches of which pass near the maxillary sinuses. This can occur as a result of the spread of infection to the nerve, or as a result of its compression by edematous tissues.

Fortunately, such complications are quite rare. More often, chronic sinusitis begins to act as a permanent source of infection, which leads to frequent relapses of inflammatory diseases of the ENT organs, teeth, etc.

Treatment of sinusitis

It must be said that sinusitis is a disease that extremely rarely goes away on its own. A timely visit to an otolaryngologist in this situation will allow you to quickly get rid of the unpleasant symptoms of the disease and will make it possible to avoid its severe and dangerous complications.

As a rule, sinusitis treatment is usually carried out in the following directions:

Neutralization of pathogenic microflora with the help of antibacterial drugs (antibiotics) in the purulent form of the disease.

To eliminate swelling of the mucous membrane and ensure normal outflow of the contents of the sinuses, local drugs with vasoconstrictor properties are prescribed (naphthyzin, sanorin, nazol, etc.).

Rinsing the nose with a saline solution, sea water preparations (Aquamaris, Marimer), decoctions of anti-inflammatory herbs or plain boiled water.

Cleansing the sinuses from purulent contents:

• rinsing by the method fluid movement ("cuckoo");
• method of applying the YAMIK sinus catheter, which creates negative pressure in the nasal cavity and pumps out the contents of the sinuses through natural openings (ostia);
• puncture (puncture), carried out using a low-trauma needle, through which the purulent contents are then removed and a drug is administered (sometimes such a puncture is performed for diagnostic purposes).

In addition, the treatment plan necessarily includes drug therapy in order to reduce allergic reactions and improve immunity.