Maxillary sinusitis

Maxillary sinusitis

Sinuses are the air filled spaces inside the bones of the skull. Normally these sinuses help in adding resonance to our voice and maintain the weight of the skull. But commonly these sinuses may be infected by some microorganisms leading to a clinical condition called sinusitis. And the infected sinus in the maxillary bone of face is called maxillary sinusitis.

Causes and Effects:

A variety of bacteria such as Staphylococci, streptococci, pneumococci, hemophillus, viruses like influenzae, fungi like Aspergillus are responsible for infecting the maxillary sinuses.

Rarely maxillary sinusitis can occur after a tooth extraction or other dental procedures.

The physical factors like sudden change in weather, cold climate can also trigger the infection to the sinuses.

The earliest sign of maxillary sinusitis is common cold which leads to acute respiratory problem. The patient finds a great difficulty in breathing as the sinuses and the path of air through the nostrils are blocked. Hence it can result in insomnia also.

Symptoms:

1. Severe cold

2. Head ache

3. Mild fever

4. Nasal discharge

5. Swollen face and cheeks

6. Pain in the maxillary area i.e cheeks

7. Tooth ache

How to confirm whether you have the infection or not:

Infection to the maxillary sinuses can be confirmed by taking an X-ray of the face i.e maxillary area. It can be more clearly detected by taking a CT scan. Or else blood tests like ESR are done to confirm the infection.

Treatment:

Initially maxillary sinusitis can be treated by administering antibiotics and antihistaminics. Antibiotics like Levofloxacin, Gatifloxacin, Ofloxacin and Roxithromycin are very effective.

Nasal sprays and nasal drops are also effective in removing the nasal congestion. Nasal drops like Xylometazoline(Otrivin) effectively cure the congestion of nose and solve difficulty in breathing.

If the maxillary sinusitis is chronic i.e continuing since many years even after the treatment with antibiotics the next alternative treatment mode is surgery. Nowadays Endoscopic sinus surgery is done commonly to cure the maxillary sinusitis problem. Consulting an experienced ENT surgeon is very important because there is less risk for recurrence if the surgery is done by an experienced surgeon.

Prevention:

Prevention for this disease is very difficult because it is related to anatomic bone defects in the person, hence it is difficult to predict the advent of this infection in a person. Therefore we should take all the necessary precautions soon after you come to know that you have sinusitis as directed by your physician or surgeon.