Sinusitis: Understanding the Inflammation of the Sinuses - Essay Sample

Introduction

Sinus is a cavity that is air-filled in the skull bone. Sinusitis disease is a condition where there is an inflammation of the cavities around the nasal passages. Sinusitis can also be defined as swelling or an inflammation of the tissue lining the sinuses which are filled with air. There are several types of sinus, but mostly sinusitis affects the paranasal sinuses which are This are spaces that lead to the nasal cavity. The nose and the paranasal sinuses have the same mucous membrane lining, and they produce mucus which helps to keep the passages of the nasal moist and also trap germs and dust particles. Most the doctors refer sinusitis also has rhinosinusitis. This is because the inflammation of sinuses occurs with rhinitis, which inflammation of the nose.

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Sinusitis is one of the most condition that leads to health complaints in the world. Approximately 0.6% of tract infections affecting the upper respiratory system are mainly complicated by sinusitis. However, the incidence of sinusitis range from 15 to 40 episodes per 1000 patients every year depending on the setting. Sinusitis is much common in adults as compared to young children. Sinusitis is said to be the second infectious disease observed by Gps. It has been researched that 75% or more people with sinusitis treated with antibiotics get better within 8 to 10 days.

Etiology and Risk Factors

Sinusitis can either be acute or chronic, and it can be brought by fungi, bacteria, allergies, viruses, pollutants, or an autoimmune reaction (Lal, Rounds & Dodick, 2015). There are various factors that increase the probability of an individual getting the disease, they include: head injury or a medical issue that leads to a tube inserted in the nose, chronic illness, for instance, cystic fibrosis, a recent respiratory infection, such as cold, or an allergic reaction to certain substances, such as sprays, pollen, and dust. As one gets old, they become more prone to the disease as the nose lining becomes thinner, the capacity of the nose to produce mucus is reduced, or there is poor circulation of blood to the nasal lining thus resulting to less humidification which causes nasal dryness (Patel & Pinto, 2014). Women are more likely to get the infection compared to men. Individuals suffering from the sinus infection might be vulnerable to the disease as they inherited a single copy of the gene, which causes cystic fibrosis. There are risk factors that you can influence to avoid the sinus infection, such as environmental toxins, smoking, and secondhand smoke, dry air exposure to respiratory disease.

Pathophysiological Processes

Pathogenesis of sinusitis involves three elements which include viscous sinus secretion, dysfunction of the ciliary apparatus, and narrow sinus Ostia. Narrow sinus ostia cause the obstruction or the blockage of the nasal passages. This increases the pressure in the sinus hence depleting oxygen, which leads to nasal bacteria into sinuses during nose blowing or sniffing. The obstruction also leads to the secretion of the mucus leading to accumulation of the fluid in the sinus (Ponikowski, Voors, Anker, Bueno, Cleland, Coats & Jessup, 2016). Dysfunction of muscularly apparatus also lead to pathogenesis of sinusitis. Especially during colds, both the function and structure of the muscular apparatus is impaired. This results to reduction of the flow of air in the nasal passages leading to sinusitis.

Clinical Manifestation: Subjective and Objective Findings

There are various subjective complains that may lead to diagnosis of the disease, the include: Changes in vision, sensitivity to light, swelling of the forehead, swelling in the eye or eye socket, severe headache, or onset of fever. The disease affect the sinus cavity, which may cause inflammation or tenderness in the nasal passageway also may ay cause swelling on the eyes or face, or ear pain (Shaikh, & Wald, 2014). There is some physical assessment that can lead to a diagnosis of the disease, such as pus like drainage from the nasal passage, tenderness to percussion over the cheeks or forehead area of the sinus. In addition, laboratory tests such as blood test, skin test, or Computed tomography scan may be used.

Clinical Manifestation and Complications

Most cases of sinusitis are uncomplicated although if left untreated acute sinusitis can lead to life-threatening complications. This include; bone infection, brain abscess, meningitis, infection of the eye, and its surrounding tissue and thrombosis (sinus cavity blood clot). When sinusitis is undiagnosed or left untreated, it can cause severe medical problems and possibly leading to the death of a patient. Moreover, changes in vision are rare but can result due to serious complications.

Diagnostics

Mostly the physician feels the tenderness in the patients nose and face and also looks inside the nose and can make the diagnosis on basis of a physical examination. However, other used to diagnose the diseases include; testing of an allergy if the doctor suspects it could be the trigger of your sinusitis. Second, sinus and nasal samples; this is tissue samples from the nose or sinuses are taken and tested. Third, imaging which includes a CT scan of the sinuses and nasal passages. Fourth, nasal endoscopy; where an endoscope is inserted in the nose to allow the doctor to check the sinuses.

Pharmacologic Recommendations

The recommended treatments for sinus disease include: nasal wash (removes mucus and bacterial from sinuses and nose), steroid nasal spray (reduces nasal inflammation and mucus production), antibiotics (they are designed to treat the bacterial infection), decongestants (they are medicines that unblock the openings of sinuses and reduce symptoms of nasal congestion), or antihistamines (drugs designed to counter the actions of histamine). The above treatments have side effects, such as nasal dryness and bleeding, bacterial resistance when use inappropriately, high blood pressure, anxiety, or prostate issues in male. It is advised one to avoid the MAO inhibitors when taking these medications, such as methylene blue, linezolid, or procarbazine.

References

Lal, D., Rounds, A., & Dodick, D. W. (2015). Comprehensive management of patients presenting to the otolaryngologist for sinus pressure, pain, or headache. The Laryngoscope, 125(2), 303-310.

Patel, R. M., & Pinto, J. M. (2014). Olfaction: anatomy, physiology, and disease. Clinical anatomy, 27(1), 54-60.

Ponikowski, P., Voors, A. A., Anker, S. D., Bueno, H., Cleland, J. G., Coats, A. J., ... & Jessup, M. (2016). 2016 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure: The Task Force for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Developed with the special contribution of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC. European journal of heart failure, 18(8), 891-975.

Shaikh, N., & Wald, E. R. (2014). Decongestants, antihistamines, and nasal irrigation for acute sinusitis in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (10).

Vazquez, J. C. M., de Rivera, A. S. G., Gil, H. S., & Mifsut, R. S. (2014). Complication rate in 200 consecutive sinus lift procedures: guidelines for prevention and treatment. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 72(5), 892-901.