Sinusitis

Sinuses are moist air spaces within the bones of the face around the nose. When these sinuses swell or become irritated, the infection is called sinusitis. These infections usually follow colds or bouts with allergies.

Symptoms

The following symptoms may indicate a sinus infection in your child:

A“cold” lasting more than 10 to 14 days, sometimes with a low-grade fever

Thick yellow-green nasal drainage

Post-nasal drip, sometimes leading to or exhibited as sore throat, cough, bad breath, nausea and/or vomiting

Headache, usually in children age six or older

Irritability or fatigue

Swelling around the eyes

Causes of sinusitis

Usually sinusitis follows a cold.

The child will have the normal symptoms of a cold (runny nose, blocked nose and sneezing).

The cold causes the lining of the nose and sinuses to swell, and fluid (mucus) gets trapped in the sinuses.

Bacteria (germs) can grow in this fluid, causing sinusitis.

Children who get hayfever are more likely to get sinusitis.

Sometimes sinusitis is caused by chemical irritation (eg from a swimming pool).

Large adenoids make it more likely that a child will get sinusitis because they can block the openings from the sinuses into the nose.

Children exposed to cigarette smoke (passive smoking) are also more likely to get sinusitis.

Treatment

Doctors may prescribe oral antibiotics to treat cases of sinusitis that are believed to be caused by bacteria. Some doctors may recommend decongestants and antihistamines to help reduce the symptoms.

Cases of sinusitis that are caused by viruses usually go away on their own without medical treatment. Acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and/or warm compresses may help reduce any pain your child may be experiencing. But over-the-counter cold preparations have not been found to be effective in reducing symptoms in children and may cause unwanted side effects.

Call your child's doctor whenever your child has:

A cold that lasts for more than 10 days without improvement

A cold that seems to be getting worse after 7 days of symptoms

Symptoms of allergies that don't clear with the usual allergy medication

It's also a good idea to call the doctor if your child shows any other signs of sinusitis, like pain or stiffness in the cheeks, a fever, or a cold that seems to be making your child more ill than usual.

What parents can do

The main treatment of sinusitis is antibiotics, so you need to take your child to a doctor. (Note: without treatment the child will recover unless there are other problems present, but it will take longer than with antibiotics and you need the doctor to check whether there are any other problems.)

The usual 'cold' medicines, sprays or drops that you use for colds, flu and blocked noses do not help with sinusitis. Also if you use nose sprays or drops for longer than about 3 days they can help to cause a blocked and runny nose, and sinusitis.

Paracetamol or ibuprofen can help with pain. (Do not give aspirin to children!) See 'Using paracetamol or ibuprofen'.

Breathing in heated oils (such as eucalyptus oil) may help the child feel better for a while, but it probably does not work very well, and there is a danger of scalds.