Sinusitis presents fairly similarly in adults and children but there are a few differences
- Children generally do not complain of their symptoms and present later than adults. Parents often, wrongly, attribute sinusitis symptoms to flu, allergy and do not seek medical help until much later.
- Children are more likely to suffer complications of sinusitis such as periorbital cellulitis, meningitis, middle ear infections.
- Large adenoids are commonly found in children and cause recurrent infections
- Children find it difficult to cooperate for common nasal procedures such as nasal toilet, douching and postoperative cleaning, thus affecting the effectiveness of medical and surgical treatments.
Treatment includes
- Aggressive antibiotic treatment – ideally antibiotics should be given for at least ten days. More chronic and severe infections may require up to one month of antibiotics.
- Adenoidectomy and sinus washouts are commonly employed when medical treatment fails
- Endoscopic sinus surgery is uncommonly required to resolve chronic sinusitis and more appropriate in older children.