Sinus Infections in Young Children

Sinus infections in young children are just as common as sinus infections in adults. Unfortunately, very young children may not be able to express the discomfort that they are feeling clearly enough for their parents to understand. This means that parents need to be alert for symptoms so they can address sinus infections promptly. Causes of Sinus InfectionsrnSinus infections usually come on after an episode of the common cold or viral influenza. The common cold causes symptoms like runny nose, nasal congestion and cough. Nasal congestion remains the most common cause of sinus infections. The lack of natural ventilation within the sinuses causes healing of the inflamed sinuses to slow down. You would expect your child to have more symptoms when he/she is struck down by viral influenza. These include headaches, pain in the areas surrounding the eyes, joint pains and high fever besides just runny nose, cough and nasal congestion. Sinus infections in children occur when the child’s immune system is weakened as a result of the illnesses mentioned above. Normally, the body has the ability to heal itself naturally. When the antibodies produced in our body destroy the influenza or cold viruses, the healing process begins automatically. If a child has a weak constitution, the healing process works rather slowly. When this happens, the inflamed mucosal lining of the nasal passages and sinuses are still swollen even though the viruses within the body are all destroyed. Complications of Sinus Infections in Young ChildrenrnAs mentioned earlier, young children are unable to express themselves effectively. Because of this, parents have to be more vigilant in identifying symptoms of sinus infections. Young children, especially those under the age of 6 years, are particularly at risk for eustachian tube dysfunction because they have very narrow eustachian tubes. Also, the anatomy of the eustachian tube in infants and young children is different from those of adults. The eustachian tube runs horizontally instead of sloping downward from the middle ear. The horizontal course of the eustachian tube also permits an easy route for bacteria to migrate from the nose to the middle ear. This is why children are so prone to infections of the middle ear. By the time children are older than 6 years of age, the incidence of ear infections should drop substantially. Though the causes of sinus infections in adults and in children are the same, as parents, you have to take special notice of your child when they come down with a cold or viral influenza. The common cold will usually run its course within a week and all cold symptoms should disappear. Full recovery from viral influenza takes anything between 10 to 14 days. After this period, your child should not exhibit any further symptoms. If they do, then you should begin to suspect possible sinus infections.