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.

HepatitisB

HepatitisB

HepatitisB is a viral disease caused by hepadna virus or hepatitisB virus which chiefly affects the liver which is one of the vital organs of our body. The virus causes inflammation or swelling of liver called hepatitis. About one-third of the global population have been infected by this virus.

Pathology and Symptoms:

Hepatitis B can be divided into acute and chronic based upon the rapidity of onset and severity of the disease. Acute hepatitisB is characterised by liver inflammation, jaundice, vomitings and rarely death. Whereas chronic hepatitisB leads to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer which may be fatal.

Symtoms of Acute hepatitisB:

1. General weakness

2. Nausea and vomitings

3. Body aches

4. Loss of appetite(hunger)

5. Mild fever

6. Skin itching

7. Dark colorationof urine

8. Icterus or jaundice

Chronic illness of hepatitis B infection may either pass asymptomatically i.e the patient cannot experience any symptoms or it may be associated with chronic inflammation of liver, liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer called hepatocellular carcinoma.

How to confirm whether you have hepatitisB:

The confirmation for hepatitis is done by blood tests which are called assays. The viral antigens or proteins are detected by the blood tests. If the blood sample is positive for the hepatitisB viral antigens, then the disease can be confirmed.

Modes of transmission of the virus:

1. Sexual contact including homosexuals

2. Intravenous drug abusers

3. Transmission from infected mother to child

4. Blood transfusion

5. Acupuncturing, body piercing, tatooing.

Treatment:

There is no proper treatment for hepatitisB and till today there are no drugs which completely eradicate the hepadna virus from the patients body. However the drugs which stop the multiplication of the viral population inside our body are in use nowadays. Antiviral drugs such as lamevudine, adefovir are used commonly to treat hepatitisB.

Prevention:

The only perfect way to prevent the hepatitis infection is vaccination. The vaccine is given in distributed doses called booster doses. These vaccines are prepared from the antigens of virus itself. This vaccine develops antibodies against the viral antigens and hence prevents the advent and multiplication of the virus into our body.

The other ways of prevention include:

1. Safe sex by using condoms

2. Sharing sterilised needles or avoid sharing needles

3. Checking the purity of blood before transfusion

4. Avoid acupuncturing, tatooing and body piercing