Sinusitis: symptoms and treatment in children at home, prevention

Definition of the disease and its types

Sinusitis in adults and children is an inflammatory process affecting one or all paranasal sinuses: the frontal, maxillary, sphenoid or ethmoidal cells. They play a very important role in human life. Thanks to them, the skeleton of the face and its features are formed, the timbre of the voice is determined and the air entering the nasal cavity from the environment is heated.

If the infection settles in this part of the face, inflammation begins - the disease “sinusitis” occurs. Depending on which sinus is affected, there are four types of sinusitis:

Frontit. A pathology in which the process affects one or two frontal sinuses, i.e., either bilateral sinusitis (frontitis) or unilateral sinusitis develops. If the inflammation affects the right frontal lobe, then they talk about right-sided sinusitis (frontal sinusitis), but if it affects the left, then they talk about left-sided sinusitis.
Sinusitis. In this case, the inflammatory process occurs in one or both maxillary maxillary sinuses (bilateral sinusitis, bilateral sinusitis). In the medical literature you can find another name for the disease - maxillary sinusitis.
Ethmoiditis. Inflammation occurs in the ethmoid cells.
Sphenoiditis. A disease in which the sphenoid sinuses are involved in the process.

According to the nature of the disease, acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis are distinguished. If the mucus is purulent, acute purulent sinusitis is diagnosed. Otherwise, the disease is called catarrhal sinusitis. It is imperative to take therapeutic measures to prevent the disease from becoming chronic.

Most diseases are caused by various viruses and infections. But it also happens that against the background of reduced immunity, allergic sinusitis suddenly begins. External irritants - allergens - provoke swelling of the nasal mucosa. Allergens can be dust, pollen, etc.

Traditional methods of treating purulent sinusitis

Onion and aloe ointment

Used to treat purulent forms of sinusitis . Cleanses the sinuses well.

Take onion juice, aloe juice and Vishnevsky ointment in equal proportions
Mix well

Dip cotton swabs in this mixture and insert into the nasal passages for 20-30 minutes. The course of treatment is 20 days.

Aloe ointment

Bay leaf decoction

This remedy helps to cope even with the purulent form of the disease after 5 days.

Pour 3 large bay leaves with water so that the leaves are hidden.
Bring to a boil, cool.
Dip a thick cloth into the broth, wring it out and place it on your face, covering the forehead and both sides of the nose.
Cover the top with a terry towel to keep warm.
Keep the compress until it cools down.

ATTENTION! All recipes are provided for informational purposes only. Before use, consult your doctor!

Symptoms

The symptoms of sinusitis in adults are similar to the signs of the disease in children. But sinusitis in children is rarely one-sided: usually the disease affects both sinuses.

Every person should know the signs of sinusitis:

With sinusitis, there is always pain that spreads to the head and face.
It is difficult for the patient to breathe through the nose due to severe swelling of the mucous membrane of the nasal sinuses, and sometimes it is completely impossible.
A large accumulation of mucus causes a person to cough frequently. He suffers from especially severe coughing attacks during sleep, when mucous secretions accumulate and flow down the nasopharynx.
Conversion of mucus into pus. Its consistency is very thick, so it is very difficult to free the nasal passages from it. Due to such muscle tension, blood vessels sometimes burst, and then blood is also mixed with the discharge.
Purulent sinusitis disrupts a person’s sense of smell. The patient ceases to distinguish odors.
Inflamed sinuses become swollen and the skin turns red.

If you are sure that you have sinusitis, you need to start treatment immediately.

Symptoms of the disease

The main symptoms of acute sinusitis are:

pain in the cranial facial region (increases when tilting the head down);
mucus discharge from the nose (may contain pus and blood);
nasal congestion;

loss of smell and taste;
pain when touching the bridge of the nose, forehead, eyebrows;
pain in the eye area;

swelling of the face;
increase in body temperature.

Causes

There can be several causes of sinusitis.

A viral infection that causes acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections can also lead to inflammation of the paranasal sinuses.
Bacteria also often cause inflammatory processes.
Fungal infection.
Trauma to the nasal septum can affect frequent paranasal inflammation.
Nasal polyps. In this case, the disease is called polypous sinusitis.
Carious teeth and chronic tonsillitis allow the infection to quickly spread into the sinuses. These are significant risk factors for the disease.
A weak immune system and allergies can lead to the development of different types of the disease described.

Prevention

In order to reduce the risk of inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, follow these prevention rules:

Treat any illness to the end.
Avoid hypothermia.
Follow your daily routine.
Maintain good body hygiene.

At the first signs of illness, consult a doctor and follow all recommendations.
Carry out routine examinations with an otolaryngologist.
Strengthen your immune system.
Keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Dear readers, have your children ever had sinusitis? What home remedies did you use during treatment? Share your reviews, recommendations and effective recipes.

General principles of treatment

As a rule, people prefer to treat sinusitis with simple means. You just need to remember a few simple recommendations. And it doesn’t matter which therapy you prefer: medication or folk remedies.

As soon as the first symptoms of the disease appear, you need to stop walking outside for 2-3 days.
To relieve soreness and swelling of the nose, you need to drink plenty of warm liquids.
If you are diagnosed with sinusitis, then you simply need treatment with warming inhalations and hot foot baths. To prepare them, you can use traditional medicine recipes.
Not only blowing your nose helps in getting rid of mucus, but also rinsing your nose. The procedure should be done in an ENT doctor’s office or in the bathroom if you decide to treat sinusitis at home.

Antibiotic therapy

If you are diagnosed with sinusitis, it is not recommended to start self-treatment with antibiotics. Be sure to consult a doctor. Antimicrobials are used only when the infection is bacterial in origin. Do not self-prescribe antibiotics for sinusitis, because only a specialist can decide on the medicine. He will examine and identify the true cause of sinusitis. In addition to the external examination, the patient will have to take a nasal swab.

By taking antimicrobial agents unnecessarily, you may not get the desired result from therapy and harm your immunity. Against this background, on top of everything else, there is a risk of a fungal infection. Thus, ordinary viral sinusitis turns into fungal sinusitis, and fighting the latter is by no means easy.

Do not think that after taking one pill you will eradicate the disease. Vasoconstrictor drops for sinusitis are not a panacea, because they only help reduce swelling of the mucous membrane of the sinuses, temporarily normalizing breathing. They can be used for no more than one week. Treatment of sinusitis in children with such drops should generally be carried out with caution. And if you cannot do without them, it is preferable to use those that contain xylometazoline. Such drops are considered a little safer for children.

Complications of the disease

Dr. Komarovsky and pediatric otolaryngologists warn parents about the following possible complications when ignoring the symptoms of sinusitis in children and not treating them:

otitis;
pharyngitis;
meningitis;
encephalitis;

abscess;
eye diseases;
bone infection;
thrombosis;
rhinitis.

Folk remedies against all types of diseases

Treatment of sinusitis with folk remedies is very popular:

Potato. Boil the potatoes, then remove the pan from the stove, drain the water and mash the vegetables. After this, you can breathe hot steam.
Water, iodine and potassium permanganate. Take a glass of water at room temperature and add three drops of iodine and the same amount of potassium permanganate to it, mix everything well. Use the solution to rinse the nose.
Radish. One radish needs to be grated and the juice squeezed out of it. Use 2-3 drops of juice for each nostril three times a day.
Sea salt, iodine tincture and water. Take a glass of water at room temperature and add 5 drops of iodine tincture to it. Stir and add a teaspoon of sea salt to the solution, then stir again. Inhale this sinusitis medicine alternately through one nostril and then the other, exiting through the mouth.
Onion. Peel the onion and chop finely, mash to a mushy consistency. Pour boiling water over and stir. Cool the resulting mixture and add a tablespoon of natural bee honey to it. Leave for several hours and then filter. This recipe is included in the golden fund of folk remedies for sinusitis. Use it to rinse your nose.

Treatment of sinusitis with folk remedies

If you cannot overcome sinusitis for a long time, folk remedies will come to your aid:

Fir. Buy ready-made oil at the pharmacy. Do steam inhalations every day by adding a few drops of the plant's essential oil to the water. You need to inhale the vapor as long as you can smell the fir.
St. John's wort. 1 tsp. Brew the medicinal plant in a glass of boiling water, wait until it cools. Use the infusion to rinse your sinuses. At the same time, you can take the infusion orally. For internal use the recipe is different. Take 20 g of dry herb and pour a glass of boiling water. Cover with something and wait for the liquid to cool. The entire volume should be drunk in 3 doses throughout the day. The course of such treatment should last 12 days.
Mumiyo. Buy a 2% solution of mumiyo. Use it as drops for sinusitis. Place 3-4 drops into each nostril 3 times a day. At the same time, take 0.15 g of mumiyo orally. The course of therapy is 10 days.
A combination of Kalanchoe, aloe, onion and cyclamen roots. All components need to be crushed and juice squeezed out of them. Take a teaspoon of each, mix and add 5-10 g of Vishnevsky ointment. This medicinal ointment can be used to lubricate the sinuses. To do this, take 2 cotton swabs, dip them in the ointment and insert them into the nostrils. Keep them like this for 30 minutes. The procedure should be done three times a day, and the total course of treatment is 3 weeks. If after 20 days you have not been able to overcome purulent sinusitis, treatment should be continued only in the doctor’s office.

Treatment with folk remedies for frontal sinusitis

As a rule, treating sinusitis with folk remedies is not particularly difficult, but to get rid of sinusitis - its subtype - you can resort to additional measures.

Bay leaf. You need to take 10 leaves of the plant and pour 3 liters of boiling water over them. Place the container on the stove and boil the mixture over low heat for about 5 minutes. Remove the decoction from the stove and breathe it in like steam inhalation. The course of treatment for frontal sinusitis with bay leaf inhalations is 7 days.
Mint. It requires dry mint, which must be added to a small amount of water boiled in a saucepan. The grass quickly soaks, releasing the essential oils it contains in large quantities into the solution. Cover yourself with a towel and breathe in the resulting steam for about 15 minutes, no more.
Propolis. You will need an alcohol tincture of propolis. Pour half a teaspoon of the product into a small amount of boiling water. Breathe propolis vapors until they form.

Oregano oil

This essential oil has antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Plus, being an anti-inflammatory, oregano oil helps reduce inflammation. It also works as an antioxidant and immune stimulant.

To relieve a sinus infection, add a couple drops of oregano oil to half a glass and inhale the steam to clear and open your sinuses. Repeat oregano inhalation daily until the infection disappears.
Another way to treat sinusitis with home remedies using oregano oil is to mix two or three drops of oregano oil in a glass of water and drink the solution twice a day until the infection goes away.
Another option to treat different types of sinuses with oregano is to simply place a drop or two of oregano oil under your tongue daily for a week until you get positive results.

Turmeric and chronic sinusitis

Turmeric is a natural antibiotic with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties that help treat sinus infections. Turmeric contains an active compound called curcumin, which helps heal sinus cavity swelling and clear the airways.

Add a pinch of turmeric powder to a glass of warm water. Rinse with turmeric solution several times a day for several days.
You can also drink a glass of hot milk mixed with one teaspoon of turmeric powder and a little honey. Take daily for one week or until infection resolves.
Another option to treat different types of sinusitis with turmeric is to mix two parts of turmeric root, juice of one lemon, one tablespoon of honey, a pinch of cayenne pepper, one banana and stir in a glass of water. Drink once a day for several days.

Steam shower

Steam breathing will help relieve nasal congestion and clear sinuses. Additionally, a warm compress can help relieve sinus pressure and headaches.

Run a hot shower and breathe in the steam for five to 10 minutes. Do this once a day for several days until the infection clears up.
You can also place a damp, warm washcloth on your face for a few minutes, several times a day for a few days, to help relieve pressure inside your sinuses.

In addition to these remedies for how to cure sinusitis, it is advisable to follow some simple measures: drinking plenty of fluids to thin out mucus and using a humidifier to keep the nasal passages moist. Additionally, getting enough rest will help speed up your recovery from sinusitis.