How to Treat Sinus Infections

Dr. Shawn Ciecko MD talks about the symptoms of a sinus infection. He also talks about different treatments for sinus infections.

How to Treat Sinus Infections Interviewer: Sometimes you get a little greenish discharge from the nose in the child and the parents really think it’s sinusitis. Does that mean you do have sinus infection? Shawn Ciecko: That’s correct. Just because the mucus is green or yellow doesn’t necessarily mean you have an infection. The whole picture has to be taken into playing and often times you’ll have fever you have discharge that last for consumed of period time. Simple things like allergies and irritants can cause mucus that has some color. Interviewer: But if it stayed for a week or 10 days and this headache everything sometimes will apparently treat as though it is a sinuses, is that true. Shawn Ciecko: That is true. And the other thing that can happen in some children is you can have adenoid infection or adenoiditis which can also cause a pretty what nasal discharge. Interviewer: If a kid keeps gaining sinus infections, what were you as an ENT doctor try to do? Shawn Ciecko: In the first line is to start simple and it start to use nasal irrigation with salt and water, nasal irrigation. Depending on the age of the child there are some nasal sways that can be use now. So nasal sways are indicated down to age two and many of them are located down the age five. Those are the first line therapies for recurrent sinus or recurrent adenoiditis. Interviewer: That’s to keep the river open, is that correct? Shawn Ciecko: That’s correct. Keep the nose open and to decrease the inflammation in the nose and hopefully keep the sinuses as a developing open an area that as you get more advanced then we move down the line and options and sometimes adenoidectomy is the next step. Interviewer: Where the adenoid is located? Shawn Ciecko: The adenoid are essentially tonsil or tissue same as tonsils which is lymphoid tissue which sit at the back of the nose. So if you were to dig at and draw a line all the way back to the—straight to the back of the nose that’s where the adenoids live. Interviewer: So that blockage may turn to sinusitis, does it reoccur? Shawn Ciecko: If you move the adenoids which can either be chronically infected and often times that infection will dissolve and sometimes the adenoids have been imprecated in seeding, the nasal cavity and the sinuses for infection. Interviewer: And sinus infection usually treats long than of a usual 10 days, is that true? Shawn Ciecko: It’s correct. Sinus infection can be treated longer than let’s say tonsil infections or ear infection and sometimes we treat for seven to 10 days. And sinus infections the treatment can be 10 to 14 days and sometimes even longer depending on the— Interviewer: Sometimes you can do it longer than that? Shawn Ciecko: 21 days to months. Interviewer: But if you keep getting sinus infection, what would you do to look up the nose with any instruments? Shawn Ciecko: Sure. There’s a more in-depth examination that we can do in the ENT office and that includes doing a nasal endoscopy. And a nasal endoscopy is essentially taking a small light which is on fiberoptic cord and looking into the nose to exam whether the sinuses are infected or if the adenoids are enlarged. It also gets some diagnostic capacity determining if nasal polyps are present or if there any process in the nose. Interviewer: It is some blockage on my—between the blockage right? Shawn Ciecko: In children sometimes you see actually foreign bodies that are in the nose that can have colored discharge. Interviewer: Rub a hose up the nose, it’s amazing. Shawn Ciecko: Amazing what you can find. Interviewer: When does a sinus thought as an absolute emergency, don’t sit on it but only the signs of one that maybe some—in the eye is something, what would be the indicator? Shawn Ciecko: The indications there are some structures which are vital which surround the sinuses. The eyes which obviously of the ethmoid sinus is right between the eyes and the brain and those the main structures you want to look out for. Having nasal secretions, fever with a swollen eye or swollen eyelid you can get Periorbital cellulitis or subperiosteal abscess which is an infection has been now from the sinus cavity into the eye. Interviewer: You don’t wait to the next day you take you care of it now. Shawn Ciecko: Immediately. It’s one of the absolute indications to perform surgery for sinusitis you have to drain the infection. The other is mental status change when then infection can potentially spread from the sinuses to the brain or into the meninges you can have a meningitis, brain abscess and these are some of the very rare but these are some of the bad things that can happen with sinusitis. Interviewer: That’s why you be careful. Shawn Ciecko: Correct.