HOW TO PREVENT SINUSITIS IN CHILDREN?

  HOW TO PREVENT SINUSITIS IN CHILDREN. 

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Runny nose, cough, fever are symptoms that every mother knows well and that can mean more than the flu, often requiring treatment with antibiotics. Therefore, knowing how to prevent sinusitis in children is very important. 

As a simple cold can become a trigger for this type of complication, sinusitis crises are frequent, and a healthy child may have about five episodes in a year. However, some care with nasal washing and nebulization can help to avoid this problem, ensuring more restful nights sleep for mothers and children. 

In this post, understand what sinusitis is, how it manifests itself in children and check out our tips to keep it far away from your child. Keep reading!

What is sinusitis and how does it affect children?

Sinusitis is an inflammation of the mucosa located in the sinuses - bony cavities around the eyes and nose and on the cheekbones. It is also common to affect the nasal mucosa, being called rhinosinusitis.

The problem occurs due to the accumulation of secretion, which may be secondary to an infection, allergic condition, respiratory diseases or even other factors that disrupt the flow and drainage of secretion. This is the case, for example, of anatomical issues such as deviated septum.

 

In children, the illness usually manifests itself after a flu or cold and gradually improves within 5 to 7 days. However, when symptoms persist for more than ten days, they are likely to suggest a bacterial infection and treatment includes the use of antibiotics. 

Acute infection is very common in children and infants, especially because of immunological immaturity. All it took was starting to attend daycare for the colds to become the trigger for the symptoms of sinusitis to appear. Any stagnant secretion ends up leading to an infectious condition. 

What are the main symptoms?

Classic symptoms of acute sinusitis include nasal obstruction, fever, catarrh, and runny nose. While in adults headaches and pressure in localized regions of the face are common, young children rarely report these symptoms, although older ones may complain. 

Coughing is very common in young children, especially when lying down, when secretions ooze or drip into the trachea, causing irritation. In general, the symptoms of childhood sinusitis are similar to those of any cold, but evolve into an intense cough with a lot of secretion. 

Signs of sinusitis can also include ear and throat pain, yellowish nasal discharge, facial pain, irritability, loss of appetite, bad breath and sleep disturbances. 

How to avoid sinusitis? 

As already explained, regardless of the origin, the inflammation of the nasal sinuses occurs due to the dammed secretion. Therefore, everything that helps fluidize the secretion and avoid accumulation is important.

Bet on nebulization

An excellent alternative to hydrate the secretion, helping to eliminate it, is nebulization, which can be done with saline solution in order to avoid sinusitis or even with medications prescribed by the doctor to treat it. 

Nebulization with saline only helps mobilize secretion, moisten and hydrate the airways, in addition to stimulating coughing, facilitating expectoration. Therefore, it not only prevents sinusitis but relieves its symptoms. 

do nasal wash 

Use saline several times a day, but it is ideal to wash with warm saline, laying your child on their side on the bed or changing table and, when the child is older, it can be done in the sink, but always with the head leaning towards a on the sides, not vertically, in order to favor drainage. 

The temperature of the whey is important, so if it's in the fridge, you'll want to warm it up first. Cold serum in contact with the secretion will have the opposite effect, making it thicker.

offer a lot of liquid

The key to avoiding sinusitis is hydration, so it is important to offer plenty of water to young children, because often, even when feeling thirsty, they do not remember to ask for or drink water. 

Water helps to humidify the airways and dilute secretions, helping to eliminate them. Between 1 and 3 years, 900ml per day is recommended, including breast milk. Children from 4 to 8 years old should drink 1.2 liters.

humidify the air 

Another tip that can mitigate the risk of a crisis is to humidify the room, especially on nights when the air conditioning is turned on. He is one of the villains of sinusitis, as he dries out the airways, favoring the proliferation of bacteria. 

Stimulate respiratory physiotherapy

Once again, it is important to mention that secretions need to be in motion in the body. When they deposit or accumulate at some point, they end up favoring infection. Thus, one way to mobilize it is to perform breathing exercises, which may be more difficult for children. 

Therefore, encourage blowing games, use the playful, asking her to smell the flower and blow out a candle, for example. You can also use a ping pong ball and ask it to blow to move the ball. Another good tip is to offer drinks with a straw. 

In summary, sinusitis is a very common disease that can have a variety of causes, from the common cold to a fungal infection. In children, it is even more frequent and can cause unpleasant symptoms, including high fever, fainting, loss of appetite and a lot of coughing. 

So, as they say, prevention is better than cure. Without a doubt, the secret to avoiding sinusitis is hydration. Nebulization and nasal wash are the main strategies to dilute the secretion and help the child to expel it, especially younger children, who tend to have difficulty blowing or spitting and end up swallowing the phlegm. 

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