True sinusitis or sinus infections are not that common in children actually as the sinuses are not fully developed until late teen years. The sinuses are normally air-filled spaces in the skull.
Children with sinus infections may present with a “cold” lasting for 10-14 days, with yellow nasal secretions, pain over the cheeks or between the eyes, fever and blocked nose. I find that a course of antibiotics such as Augmentin is usually quite effective in the treatment of sinusitis, together with a nasal steroid spray and saline nasal wash. “Injections” are usually only required if the child is quite unwell with sinusitis and needs to be admitted to a hospital to have an antibiotic drip given.
From my experience with paediatric patients, I often discover that “sinus” infections in children actually turn out to be allergic rhinitis, a hyper-sensitive inflammatory reaction of the lining of the nose, leading to sneezing, watery nasal secretions, blocked nose. Sometimes, the “sinus” infection may just be a due to a prolonged bad bout of flu or a cold and the child should recover on his or her own in this case.
I have found that some of my “sinus” patients actually have a chronically runny nose and blocked nose due to enlarged adenoid tissue blocking the back of their nose (adenoiditis).
The adenoids are made of similar lymph gland tissue as the tonsils and are commonly enlarged in young children. If anti-allergy medication doesn’t help the child with adenoiditis to improve, then removal of the adenoid tissue may be advised to help the child breathe better.
