ACUTE SINUSITIS

The rate of ear, nose and throat (ENT) diseases always accounts for a fairly high number in annual reports and statistics at medical clinics.

  Today I would like to talk about a common disease in ENT, Acute Rhinitis. We have certainly heard about this disease many times.

1. When is acute sinusitis?

  Most of us live in developing urban environments, so there is more or less pollution, the concentration of dust and smoke in the air is increasingly dense, at the same time the number of smokers in the community is not small, also contributing to the deterioration of the surrounding atmosphere. In addition, the weather is sunny-rainy, hot-cold and the humidity changes quite suddenly, making us susceptible to colds.

  A cold lasts only a few days and usually goes away on its own or sometimes requires a few pills like paracetamol or vitamin C to get better.

  However, there are a few, about 2% of people with colds who do not recover and develop acute sinusitis, which causes discomfort and trouble for the patient.

2. What are the symptoms of acute sinusitis?

 Symptoms of this disease interfere with normal activities such as:

       -Breathing becomes increasingly difficult, becoming very difficult, possibly to the point of not being able to breathe, which we call nasal congestion.

       -Runny nose may not be seen because the patient has a stuffy nose, or it may flow out in a liquid form ranging from thin to thick mucus.

       -My face was painful at that time, especially when I bent my head forward, it hurt more, my face felt heavier.

       -Followed by headache symptoms, this appears sometimes on both temples, sometimes in the back of the head or the whole head.

       -And then the patient will find himself coughing, and the cough will last for a long time, and be difficult to stop.

       -Gradually the eyelids and face feel swollen.

       -Finally, fever and facial pain make the patient worried.

  The above are typical symptoms that are often easy to recognize.

  The above description is not the same in all patients with acute sinusitis, but depending on each person's organs, it will give different manifestations, sometimes just a few symptoms as follows:

       - The patient has a stuffy nose, his voice is no longer as usual, becomes harder to hear and his body feels tired.

       - In other cases, the cough is prolonged, the nose becomes blocked and there is a runny nose.

       - Or sometimes just feel stuffy nose and headache that lasts for a long time without stopping.

       - Sometimes thereis no stuffy nose, just a feeling of heaviness in the face, tilting the head forward causes facial pain, slightly swollen eyelids and a slight fever, making one think of acute sinusitis.

3. Where in the body does acute sinusitis affect?

      -In adults, there are 5 pairs of sinuses in the facial skull, these 5 pairs are divided into 2 groups: the anterior sinus group and the posterior sinus group. We will pay attention to the anterior sinus group when mentioning this disease today.

     -The mucous membranes of these sinuses always secrete slightly viscous fluids, which are normal physiological fluids that are essential to warm and moisten the sinuses and the air passing through the nose. Normally, this fluid flows out through the openings and tubes inside the nose, gradually going out of the nose and down the throat.

     -When we have a cold, these mucous membranes swell, causing the sinus passages to gradually become blocked. If this process stops, the disease will gradually recede. On the contrary, it continues until the passages are blocked, preventing the fluid from escaping. The fluid stagnates, creating a suitable environment for bacteria to grow and become thicker . This phenomenon results in acute sinusitis. Researchers also found that at the same time there was inflammation of the nasal mucosa , so today it is commonly called acute sinusitis .

     -So acute sinusitis is inflammation of the nasal mucosa and mucosa of the anterior sinus group .

4 – What is the culprit that causes acute sinusitis?

  The causes of acute sinusitis are:

       -Virus

       -Bacteria.

       -Mushroom.

       -Allergy.

  The following conditions can make acute sinusitis more likely to occur:

       - Sinus trauma.

       -Stimulation of toxic gases and temperature causes irritation, edema and increased nasal secretion.

       -Abnormalities due to a deviated septum or other structures in the nose that block the ventilation of the nasal cavity.

5. Is acute sinusitis difficult to treat?

     -Usually, acute sinusitis only lasts a few weeks and then goes away on its own . If it gets worse, proper treatment is needed to cure it.

     -Early treatment does not require antibiotics, just take medicine to relieve nasal congestion, drink lots of water to thin the mucus, use saline nasal drops, spray the nose with deep sea water or steam the nose with a bowl of warm water and it usually goes away.

     -If it does not go away, see your doctor for a careful examination.

    -At the clinic: The doctor will ask the patient, pay attention to unfavorable factors and handle them further depending on each case. The unfavorable factors mentioned above include: Allergic constitution, severe nasal septum deviation, patient smoking, living in a polluted environment, etc. In addition, the doctor will also consider to know what stage the disease has reached and use antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers, etc. and need to rest to help the disease recover quickly.

     - Please note that you need to see a doctor immediately if you experience symptoms such as: high fever, severe headache, pain in the ear, swelling and pain in the face or eyes, blurred vision, double vision, or bad breath.

6. What happens if you do not know or do not treat acute sinusitis promptly?

       -Acute sinusitis only lasts a few weeks, sometimes it goes away on its own, but if it gets worse, it needs to be treated properly. If the disease lasts longer, usually more than 8 weeks , it will turn into chronic sinusitis . Treatment at this time will be much more difficult, sometimes prolonged and persistent. We should know that many chronic sinusitis patients have doctors advise you to have surgery, this is something you need to pay attention to in order to prevent.

7. How to prevent acute sinusitis?

       -Regular exercise is the first advice for you because it helps you improve your health, and at the same time helps clear your sinuses best. Even when the weather changes or you encounter a lot of dust and smoke on the road, it is difficult to get stuffy nose.

       -Drink plenty of water to keep the fluid in the sinuses thin and allow the fluid to move easily every day.

       -Stay away from cigarette smoke and polluted air. Remember to wear a mask to avoid toxic dust and smoke on the road.

8. Finally, what advice do you have for everyone?

     -As I said, this is an acute sinusitis that can easily happen to anyone when the weather changes suddenly or the environment is too polluted: You should create your own resistance by exercising regularly, wearing a mask in places with a lot of dust and smoke, not smoking, and keeping your body warm when the weather turns cold.

     -The disease is more likely to occur in people with other ENT diseases such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, allergic rhinitis, deviated nasal septum, smokers, people who often live in polluted environments, etc. Therefore, you need care, and advice from your doctor, to stop smoking.

      -When you are sick, do not let the disease recur, nor let the disease last long. To do so, you should comply with the treatment, listen to the doctor's advice and not interrupt the treatment on your own.

      -Finally, regular exercise helps you stay healthy and less susceptible to many diseases, including acute sinusitis.