Inflammation of the mucous membrane of the maxillary sinuses is one of the most common diseases of the human respiratory system. Many people treat him condescendingly, not fully understanding what sinusitis is, and not considering it a rather serious ailment. However, given the place of localization of the inflammatory process and its complex symptoms, without proper treatment, complications after sinusitis can be very life-threatening. Next, we will consider why sinusitis is dangerous.
Possible problems with sinusitis
Anatomically, the maxillary sinuses are located in the middle of the facial part of the skull.
They are adjacent to the orbits of the eye, nasal and oral cavities, the membranes of the brain are located very close.
Large blood vessels (maxillary artery) and nerves (maxillary, infraorbital) pass near the maxillary chambers, which is dangerous by the rapid spread of infection when complications of sinusitis occur.
Complications can affect many vital organs of a person and cause disturbances in the activity of the organs of vision and hearing, the genitourinary and respiratory systems, intracranial problems and neurological diseases.
If you do not treat sinusitis in an acute form, then the disease can turn into a chronic process, which is treated much more difficult and longer. That is, for a long period of time, an unquenched focus of infection will be present in the body. Chronic sinusitis and its consequences are the most insidious, because when the patient's condition improves, the main symptoms disappear or weaken, and it seems that there is no danger. However, in the case of a common cold or fatigue, symptoms may return with a vengeance, causing severe pain, fever, and severe inflammation.
Complications caused by sinusitis
Sinusitis symptoms add up to an extensive clinical picture of the disease. Complication of sinusitis is, as a rule, the result of the presence of pus in the immediate vicinity of vital organs, tissue edema, high fever and pain.
The most common consequences of sinusitis:
- Disturbances in the work of the organs of vision. The eyes and maxillary sinuses are separated by a thin bony wall through which pathogens can enter the orbits. In the best case, it may be swelling of the tissues of the orbit as a reaction to an inflammatory process occurring in the vicinity. In the worst case, with sinusitis, a complication can lead to real inflammation of the soft tissues and bone walls of the orbit, which proceeds with or without pus. If the optic nerve is injured, then without emergency treatment, a person can completely lose sight.
- Damage to the organs of hearing. The ingress of the mucous contents of the cavities through the Eustachian tube into the tympanic cavity of the ear can cause otitis media of a purulent or non-purulent nature.
- The first is more difficult to treat, can cause rupture of the eardrum and hearing impairment. There are situations when pains in the head, sinuses and ears combine, creating a very severe pain syndrome. With severe development of the disease, if it is not treated, vomiting and loss of consciousness are possible, which is a sign of damage to the lining of the brain.
- Inflammation of the trigeminal nerve. The developing neuritis has symptoms, which are expressed in the increased sensitivity of the skin on the upper jaw. In the future, burning sharp pains appear in the affected part of the face, which become constant. Treatment of neuritis is very difficult and long, especially if there is a nearby focus of infection.
- Intracranial complications. They are the most dangerous for human life. About 10% of all complications from sinusitis are brain damage, every third of them is fatal. Intracranial complications can be: with inflammation of the meninges of the brain, with a purulent focus in the brain, or with blood poisoning. If there is even the slightest suspicion of such a development of events, the patient is urgently hospitalized. Most often, with sinusitis, the consequence is meningitis, which is characterized by severe pain, hallucinations, impaired consciousness and seizures.
In addition to these, the consequences of sinusitis in adults and children can cover other systems of the body, causing a number of ailments:
- Apnea syndrome (stopping breathing during sleep). The lack of full-fledged nasal breathing and swelling of the mucous membranes can provoke respiratory arrest during a night's sleep for 20-30 seconds, which sometimes ends tragically.
- Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) can develop with dangerous infectious diseases such as flu, tonsillitis or sinusitis. Myocarditis leads to rhythm disturbances and a decrease in the contractile function of the heart muscle, which makes it especially dangerous for the elderly.
- Cystitis and other inflammations of the genitourinary system. Disease-causing bacteria, entering the bloodstream, spread throughout the body, in particular, settle in the ureters, causing very unpleasant diseases that require separate therapy.
- Diseases of the lower respiratory system. Part of the exudate, containing many pathogenic bacteria, does not escape through the nose, but flows down the walls of the nasopharynx and pharynx, infecting healthy tissues. The most common consequence of this is bronchitis, pneumonia (pneumonia) or bronchial asthma.
Loss of smell. A purulent process in the sinuses can spread to the olfactory epithelial cells located in the upper part of the nasopharynx. Destroying cells stop sending signals to the brain through nerve endings, and the sick person does not recognize smells. In a severe form of the disease, the olfactory cells may not recover, and the olfactory reflex will be lost forever.- Tonsillitis. The close location of the anastomosis of the maxillary sinuses and adenoids can cause pathogenic bacteria to cover the tonsils and lead to a severe course of tonsillitis. This is also facilitated by the patient's transition to oral breathing with severe nasal congestion, which creates an additional load on the tonsils.
- Osteoperiostitis (inflammation of the bone tissue). The presence of a prolonged purulent process in the maxillary cavities can become a catalyst for inflammation of the nearby bones. The symptoms of this disease are as follows: swelling of the cheeks, swelling of the lower eyelids, frequent conjunctivitis.
Loss of smell. A purulent process in the sinuses can spread to the olfactory epithelial cells located in the upper part of the nasopharynx. Destroying cells stop sending signals to the brain through nerve endings, and the sick person does not recognize smells. In a severe form of the disease, the olfactory cells may not recover, and the olfactory reflex will be lost forever.Sinusitis also deals a serious blow to the immune system, therefore the residual effects after sinusitis are regular respiratory diseases of a cold and infectious nature, a tendency of the nasal mucosa to swelling.
Also, if after treatment, mucus continues to accumulate in the chambers, then it, flowing down the back of the pharynx, can cause a prolonged cough after sinusitis.
Sinusitis in pregnant women and children
Women who are expecting a baby often ask the question, is sinusitis dangerous for pregnant women? The answer is unequivocal: it is undoubtedly dangerous, even by the fact that the focus of infection is located near the organs of hearing, vision and the brain. Therefore, self-medication or refusal of treatment can have the most serious consequences, both for the woman and the fetus. It is necessary to immediately see an otolaryngologist and in the future strictly follow all his prescriptions.
Diagnosis of the disease in women in position has its own characteristics. They cannot perform fluoroscopy or computed tomography, the most common and informative examination methods. Therefore, specialists recognize sonography (ultrasound) of the maxillary sinuses as the best option.
Early identification of an ailment and initiation of treatment in some cases allows avoiding potent drugs and getting by with safe methods: rinsing the nose at home or in a hospital using a "cuckoo", homeopathic and phytopreparations.
A neglected stage of the disease with untimely treatment can put doctors in front of the need for urgent surgical intervention, which is very undesirable in this state.
Sinusitis for pregnant women is also unpleasant because most effective drugs have side effects and can be dangerous for the unborn child. Often, doctors do not want to take risks, so they postpone potent therapy or surgery until the postpartum period, limiting themselves to mild drugs.
Such an approach, with prolonged waiting, is fraught with the transition of the disease into a chronic form.
If the infected mucus gets into the blood vessels, then pathogens can infect the fetus, as well as get into various organs of the woman, causing otitis media, tonsillitis, meningitis, and damage to the renal pelvis. Constant nasal congestion and lack of oxygen in the body negatively affects the functioning of the lungs and heart, increases blood pressure and can cause fetal hypoxia.
A feature of the course of sinusitis in children is that the disease develops much faster than in adults. The mucous membranes of the child are very susceptible to pathogens, therefore viruses and bacteria at a high speed cover the upper and lower respiratory tract. The most common complications in children are otitis media, pneumonia, tonsillitis, meningitis. Therefore, it is important to discern the disease at an early stage and start treatment on time.
How to avoid complications of sinusitis
Having considered the question of how sinusitis is dangerous, it is worth dwelling on the methods of preventing the development of complications in the process of treating the disease. They are quite obvious, but it would be useful to dwell on them in more detail:
- Early recognition of sinusitis symptoms against the background of respiratory diseases and a runny nose, the use of possible measures at home (nasal lavage, vasoconstrictor sprays or drops for temporary relief of congestion, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs of general action) and contacting an otolaryngologist without delay.
- Identification of the cause of the disease. Without an accurate identification of the pathogen, therapy can be completely useless.
Antibiotics will only help with bacterial sinusitis; other forms require specific treatment. - Exact fulfillment of all prescriptions of the attending physician. You cannot change the prescribed medications at your own discretion or interrupt the course of antibiotics when you feel better, since a disease that has not been completely cured can reactivate.
- Compliance with the treatment regimen. Bed rest, sick leave, avoidance of serious physical activity, a ban on going outside during the cold season.
Antibiotics will only help with bacterial sinusitis; other forms require specific treatment.
