If your child is having breathing difficulties, recurrent cold and cough attacks, or he/she is breathing through the mouth, it’s time to consult the ENT. These are signs and symptoms indicative of deviated septum, adenoiditis, and sinusitis. Read on to know more about these conditions from Dr Sheetal Radia, ENT & Head Neck Surgeon, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mira Road said.
Sinusitis happens when the sinuses get filled with water and pus. It can occur due to recurrent cold attacks, bacterial and viral infections, structural abnormalities in the nose (deviated nasal septum), turbinate bone enlargement leading to nasal obstruction, nasal secretions, dust, pollutants, pet and environmental allergies.
A stuffy nose, runny nose, severe headaches, recurrent headaches, redness and swelling of eyes, pain in eyes, recurrent throat pain, throat irritation, change in voice, post nasal drip leading to foul breath, and snoring at night are symptoms associated to sinusitis.
If not treated at the right time, sinusitis can lead to blurry vision, redness of eyes, swelling of eyelids, recurrent throat infections that may invite tonsillitis, laryngitis (infection and inflammation of the larynx that is the voice box), chronic nasal obstruction and polyps in sinuses (swelling filled with water and infected pus). Polyps can cause chronic nasal obstruction leading to breathing problems.
Parents should watch out for the sinusitis symptoms and consult the ENT on time to avoid complications. If nasal polyps are detected, surgery will be required to remove them. If the sinusitis is caused by deviated nasal septum, one needs septal correction surgery to straighten the nasal bone, and the surgery can take up to 2 hours.
One with a deviated septum may suffer from adenoiditis (inflammation of the adenoid tissue) and sinusitis. Such patients may also have enlarged adenoids (type of tonsils behind the nose where the nose and throat meet or nasopharynx). Not only enlarged adenoids can cause breathing problems but they can also interfere with the normal growth of the child. Hence, treating adenoids at the right time is important for paediatric patients.
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