Contents:
- Medical Video: Acute and chronic sinusitis: nasal surgery and treatment
- What is the connection between allergies and sinusitis?
- Diagnosis of sinusitis
- Allergy treatment for allergic sinusitis
- Prevention of sinusitis
Medical Video: Acute and chronic sinusitis: nasal surgery and treatment
Sinusitis is inflammation of the membranes lining the paranasal sinuses, small air-filled spaces located within the skull or head bones around the nose. Sinusitis can be caused by infection or other health problems and symptoms include runny nose and facial pain.
The paranasal sinus consists of four pairs of air-filled spaces:
- Frontal sinus: upper eye in eyebrows
- Ethmoid sinus: just behind the bridge of the nose, between the eyes
- Upper sinus jaw: inside each cheek bone
- Sphenoid sinus: behind the ethmoid in the upper area of the nose and back of the eye
There are two basic types of sinusitis:
- Acute sinusitis - an infection lasting up to 3 weeks, which is caused by bacterial infection in many cases and usually occurs as a late (secondary) complication of respiratory viral infections such as a cold or as a result of untreated allergies.
- Chronic sinusitis - an infection lasting more than 3 weeks can also be caused by a bacterial infection, but more often as a chronic inflammatory disorder similar to bronchial asthma. Chronic sinusitis can last for months or years if not treated. Allergies, structural problems or immunological problems can cause chronic sinus infections.
What is the connection between allergies and sinusitis?
Allergies are caused by abnormal immune responses to allergen exposure (pollen, animal dander, dust mites, mold, etc.). Inflammation due to allergies can occur anywhere along the respiratory tract — especially in the nose and mucus-lined sinuses.
Inflammation due to allergies from sinus tissue can interfere with normal bacterial cleansing activities in the sinus cavity, which often causes infection. In this situation, respiratory allergies can trigger recurrent sinus infections. Because chronic sinusitis may originate from allergies and infections, the causative factors must be carefully evaluated and treated for effective disease management.
Diagnosis of sinusitis
Often, health care providers can diagnose acute sinusitis by reviewing a person's symptoms by checking the nose and face. The doctor may perform a procedure called rhinoscopy, in which they use a flexible tube-like instrument to examine the inside of the nose.
If the symptoms do not clearly show sinusitis or if the symptoms persist for a long time and do not get better with treatment, the doctor may order computerized tomography (CT) x-ray scans that show some soft tissue and other structures that cannot be seen on conventional X-rays - to confirm the diagnosis of sinusitis and to evaluate how severe the condition is.
Laboratory tests that health professionals can use to check for possible causes of chronic rhinosinusitis including:
- Allergy test
- Blood tests to rule out conditions associated with sinusitis, such as immune deficiency disorders
- Sweat tests or blood tests to get rid of cystic fibrosis
- Test the material inside the sinus to detect bacterial or fungal infections
- An aspirin test to test for respiratory diseases aggravated by aspirin In an aspirin test, a person takes a small dose of aspirin but gradually increases with careful supervision of a health professional.
Allergy treatment for allergic sinusitis
For more than 90 years, allergen immunotherapy (allergy shots) has been recognized as one of the most effective treatments for respiratory allergies. Several years of research have shown that immunotherapy / allergy injections are cost effective in reducing symptoms in the nose and eyes, reducing drug use and improving quality of life.
For years, allergy sufferers have reported fewer upper respiratory infections during allergic injections. Recent studies confirm the value of immunotherapy for allergic sinusitis and asthma.
In addition to medical care, it is clear that immunotherapy remains an important and unique treatment for chronic allergy sufferers with chronic sinusitis.
Although sinusitis and allergies can be separate and independent processes, allergies appear to worsen existing sinusitis. Upper respiratory allergies often play an important role in maintaining chronic inflammation of all mucous membranes including the part of the sinuses.
Patient data reveals that allergy injections are very important in allergic individuals who do not respond to medical and surgical treatment for chronic sinusitis where allergies occur.
Treatment can be divided into allergen avoidance, drugs, and immunotherapy for the management of allergic components of chronic sinusitis.
Of all the therapies offered for respiratory allergies, injection therapy or immunotherapy may be the most specific and effective treatment available in preventing recurrent symptoms in hypersensitive patients. However, immunotherapy is only effective if allergens can be identified and put into serum allergy at adequate concentrations. Only half the concentration often proves inadequate in stubborn cases. Careful and comprehensive examination of allergy history and skilled allergy tests is the basis for an effective treatment program.
Prevention of sinusitis
There is little information about prevention of acute or chronic sinusitis, but the following steps can help:
- Avoid exposure to irritants such as cigarettes and cigars or strong chemicals.
- To avoid infection, wash your hands frequently during the common cold season and try to avoid touching your face.
- If you have allergies, avoid exposure to stimulating allergic substances, or consider asking your health care provider to evaluate allergies or referral to an allergist.
