Do not be subjective to acute sinusitis

The article was consulted professionally with Specialist Doctor II Nguyen Van Thai – Doctor of Ear Nose And Throat – Department of Medical Examination and Internal Medicine – Share99 Da Nang International Health Hub.

Acute sinusitis is a condition in which blocked sinus holes lead to a decrease in circulation at the site, symptoms take place in about 4 weeks. Although not as prolonged as chronic disease, without timely treatment, acute sinusitis will lead to a number of dangerous complications.

Sinuses are defined as bone cavities in the face and head, which are covered with a continuous mucous membrane with the nasal mucosa and have vents with the nasal cavity called sinus vents. The mucous layer is responsible for protecting the sinuses from external pathogens, warming and moistening the inhaled air. The sinus system in the head and face has the effect of lighting the head as well as creating a separate voice for each individual due to the different volume and sinus structure in each person.

For adults, there are 5 pairs of sinuses divided into 2 groups: the front and rear sinuses. In its normal state, the sinus vents are very ventilated to drain secrety from the sinuses as well as air. When the patient falls into acute sinusitis, the mucous layer on the surface of the sinuses becomes inflamed, edema clogs the sinus vents, air and secretic secreties do not flow, so acute sinusitis occurs.

If the virus is the cause of the disease, then after a short time the sinusitis as above will automatically clear and the sinuses return to their original ventilated state. However, if the blockage of the sinus vents continues, it will cause the sinus mucosa to secrete more and more fluid, causing the fluid to stagent a lot, sometimes with pus causing acute sinusitis or acute purulent sinusitis. At this time, because there is a lot of stagnant fluid, it will put a lot of pressure on the head bone, face causing soreness or also known as sinusitis headache.

This sinusitis that occurs over a period of 4 weeks should be called acute sinusitis, while if it lasts more than 8 weeks, it goes to the stage of chronic sinusitis.

The cause of acute sinusitis can be caused by contaminated environments, people are exposed to smog, chemicals every day, making the disease tend to increase. The more common causes of acute sinusitis are viral, bacterial, parasitic infections…, manifested by inflammations in some parts associated with rhinitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, tooth infections … Some cases of acute sinusitis are caused by allergies to external environmental factors such as pollen, cat hair, microorganisms … is called allergic nasal sinusitis.

Some of the risk factors that increase the likelihood of acute sinusitis are:

● Fever in summer due to allergies to environmental factors such as pollen.

● There are antomical abnormalities such as deviation of the nasal septum, excess flesh, tumors inside the nose.

● People with cystic fibrosis, immune disorders, typically HIV virus infection.

Acute sinusitis characterized by symptoms appears in the period of 10-14 days, during this period the symptoms do not remission but can manifest it heavily from the beginning. Some of the most common clinical symptoms of acute sinusitis are:

• Facial aches, pains, severe pain in the morning, the location of pain can be cheeks for maxillary sinusitis, the middle of the eyebrows for frontal sinusitis, between the eyes for pre-sieve sinusitis, internal pain inside the head and back pain of the neck for butterfly sinusitis. Patients with pain will experience severe sensations on the cheeks on both sides of the forehead as well as the sun, sometimes spreading to the top of the head and soreness in the molars. This is one of the typical symptoms of acute sinusitis.
• Runny, thick, mucous, yellow or blue in color, sometimes with a bad smell, nasal discharge through the nostrils or the back of the throat is called the back nasal discharge. Runny nose usually flows on both sides of the nose
• Runny nose, more nasal congestion causes difficulty breathing, more nasal congestion when lying down and increases in the evening, which can lead to a decrease in smell.
• Some other accompanying symptoms such as tinnitus, ear pain, headache, cough, fatigue, fever, nausea …

Acute sinusitis, if not treated in a timely manner, will leave some dangerous complications such as chronic sinusitis, rhinitis, chronic pharyngitis, respiratory tract inflammation, acute otitis, kidney inflammation, arthritis … It is impossible not to mention a very dangerous complication of acute sinusitis that is blindness. Acute sinusitis can lead to inflammation of the eye sockets, eyelid pressure, inflammation of the visual nerve, inflammation of the tear vesicular of the eye and then a sudden decrease in vision and blindness. In children, acute sinusitis can cause complications such as external sinusitis, which manifests it as having purulent vesicy formed in the upper corner of the child's eye socket. Or it is also possible that acute sinusitis will cause the pulp of the upper jaw bone to swell the cheeks, under the child's eye socket. And the most dangerous complication of acute sinusitis is that it can also lead to death.

Acute viral sinusitis will automatically subside after a short period of time without treatment, while for other acute sinusitis, the treatment is mainly to relieve the symptoms it causes, which can apply the following treatments for acute sinusitis. :

● Use diluted saline to clean your nose

● Take anti-nasal congestion medications for daily spraying, be it Corticosteroids.

● Analgesics such as Aspirin, Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen …

● Antibiotics if sinusitis is too severe.

● Apply immuno therapy if it is allergic sinus rhinitis, this method means allergic vaccination to help the body be able to respond to external allergies, preventing allergic symptoms of the body.

To prevent acute sinusitis as well as purulent sinusitis, patients need to lead a healthy lifestyle, body hygiene and regular habitat to prevent the disease. At the same time, when there are any abnormal signs, it should not be subjective but need to go to a specialist for timely treatment, avoiding unwanted complications.

Share99 International Health Hub examines and treats common ENT diseases, head and neck tumors, congenital malformations of the ear and nose and throat with the most optimal internal and external methods for patients, both children and adults. As one of the most prestigious hospitals in the country, many patients trust to examine and treat diseases. Not only mechanical systems, modern equipment: 6 ultrasound rooms, 4 DR X-ray rooms (1 full-axis camera, 1 light tank, 1 synthesizer and 1 mammogram), 2 DR portable X-ray machines, 2 multi-range comclass shooting rooms (1 machine 128 ranges and 1 machine 16 blocks) , 2 resonance imaging rooms (1 Tesla 3 machine and 1 1.5 Tesla machine), 1 vascular interventional anethectic unit 2 interfaces and 1 bone mineral density measurement room…. Share99 is also a gathering place for a team of experienced doctors and doctors who will support a lot in diagnosing and early detection of abnormal signs of the patient's body. Especially, with the space designed according to 5-star hotel standards, Share99 ensures to bring the most comfort, friendliness and peace of mind to patients.

Dr. Nguyen Van Thai is a former Doctor of Ear Nose and Throat Surgery at The Department of Ear Nose and Throat – Hue Central Health Hub with more than 17 years of treatment experience, especially in the field of Head and Neck Surgery. Currently an Entotologist at the Interdisciplinary Clinic of the Medical and Internal Medicine Department of Share99 Da Nang International Health Hub.