Sinusitis during pregnancy: treatment, causes, symptoms of the disease, diagnostic tests, rules for taking drugs and preventive measures

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

During pregnancy, a woman's immune system is greatly weakened, she is more prone to colds, a common consequence of which is sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses). Treatment of sinusitis during pregnancy should be safe and complete, and most importantly - effective. When the first symptoms of the disease occur, you should not hesitate, as nasal congestion and the presence of pus can adversely affect the he alth of the baby.

Causes of disease

Sinusitis during pregnancy is usually a complication that occurs when a viral infection is running. The pregnant woman, fearing for the he alth of the baby, did not treat the cold sufficiently intensively and well, did not use all the medicines prescribed by the doctor, neglected folk methods, as a resultcomplication.

Due to nasal congestion and prolonged runny nose, the natural outflow of mucus is disturbed, the paranasal sinuses become inflamed, plus a bacterial infection joins. In pregnant women, among all types of sinusitis, sinusitis is the most common - inflammation of the maxillary sinuses and frontal sinusitis - an inflammation of the frontal sinuses.

You are more likely to experience sinusitis if:

• Adenoids or polyps have grown.
• Irregular nasal septum.
• There were facial injuries.
• Has allergic rhinitis.
• Carious lesions of the teeth.
• Woman blowing her nose wrong.
• He is immunocompromised.
• Congenital deformities of the nasal passages.

It should be noted that sinusitis during pregnancy for the first time can develop due to hormonal changes in the body. It is during this period that a woman is prone to various respiratory diseases.

Symptoms

You can understand that a cold develops into sinusitis by the following signs:

• If a runny nose doesn't go away after a week.
• Discharge from the nose is copious, transparent. With a bacterial infection, the mucus appears pus, and it becomes greenish in color and has an unpleasant odor.
• If there is pain: between the eyebrows - sinusitis, near the wings of the nose - sinusitis. In this case, the pain intensifies when the body is tilted and when chewing.
• There is a high temperature.
• Feeling broken, tired, sleepy.
• Nasal congestion does not go away after 5 days.
• Notsmells are perceived.
• Harsh voice, stuffy ears.
• Tormenting cough at night.

Sinusitis during pregnancy can occur as a result of allergic rhinitis, it is characterized by runny nasal discharge, watery eyes, frequent sneezing, severe itching in the nose.

You should be aware that acute inflammation has well-defined symptoms, while chronic disease is characterized by an erased clinical picture.

What is the danger of sinusitis for a mother

Purulent inflammation is dangerous for both mother and child.

If you do not treat sinusitis during pregnancy, its consequences can be the most unpredictable - the infection can spread to the membranes of the brain, bones, eyes. This can provoke the development of sepsis, abscesses in the brain, eye damage, osteomyelitis.

Chronic sinusitis is dangerous due to the development of myocarditis, inflammation of the renal pelvis.

Inflammation in the maxillary sinuses can provoke the development of dental diseases, inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, which is characterized by severe facial pain.

What is the danger of sinusitis for a child

Sinusitis during pregnancy adversely affects the development of the baby. The greatest danger of the disease is in the first trimester, when the child is not yet completely protected by the placenta. Inflammation in the maxillary sinuses during this period can cause the development of congenital pathologies in the baby or lead to interruptionpregnancy. Treatment of sinusitis during early pregnancy is difficult, as many medications are prohibited during this period.

A disease in the middle of pregnancy can lead to neurological disorders in the baby. Treatment of sinusitis during pregnancy in the 2nd trimester must be started in a timely manner, and then the danger can be prevented.

Occurrence of sinusitis at the end of pregnancy can lead to premature labor or weakened labor. When treating sinusitis during pregnancy in the 3rd trimester, doctors use the medication method, homeopathic medicines, alternative therapy methods.

In addition, maternal obstructed nasal breathing leads to oxygen deficiency in the fetus, which affects its rate of development, and can cause changes in the brain.

Which doctor to contact for help

If rhinitis has been going on for more than a week, and sinusitis symptoms have joined it, a visit to the doctor should never be postponed. You should immediately contact an otolaryngologist. The doctor will definitely consult with the gynecologist who is in charge of the pregnancy and prescribe the best course of treatment.

In some situations, other doctors are involved to deal with sinusitis during pregnancy. For example, a dentist will treat tooth decay, an allergist will treat allergies if sinusitis is the result of allergic rhinitis.

Diagnosis

Doctor examines patient based oncomplaints and symptoms, he will prescribe an examination, which includes the following procedures:

• Donating blood.
• Taking a swab from the nasal passages.
• X-ray. But before the 12th week of pregnancy, this diagnostic method is not carried out.
• Rhinoscopy of the posterior and anterior type - the method will determine the type of sinusitis. This is a method of examination using a metal device - a rhinoscope. It is absolutely harmless and has no contraindications. Carried out by an otolaryngologist in the office.

How and how to treat sinusitis during pregnancy?

Therapy can only be carried out under the supervision of a doctor. If symptoms of acute sinusitis are observed during pregnancy, the temperature is high, then you need to observe bed rest, drink plenty of fluids.

As a rule, you can use the following medications for pregnant women (be sure to check with your gynecologist, because each body can react to medications differently):

• To reduce fever, eliminate headaches - "Paracetamol".
• For rinsing the nose and moisturizing, relieving swelling, making breathing easier, fighting the virus, fighting allergies - saline solutions: Quicks, Saline, Aquamaris.
• To eliminate nasal congestion, restore breathing - vasoconstrictor nasal drops "Galazolin", "Xylometazoline", "Dlyanos" (course duration no more than 3 days).
• To relieve edema, provide an antiviral effect, restore free breathing, the homeopathic preparation "Sinupret" is prescribed.
• If the pathogen should be de alt withinfection, the doctor prescribes antibiotics. With sinusitis during pregnancy, the use of a local drug in the form of a drop in the nose "Bioparox" or "Isofra" is considered optimal.
• To liquefy thick purulent mucus and its free discharge, to eliminate nasal congestion, doctors prescribe a spray "Rinofluimucil", "Muk altin", "Bromhexine", "Ambroxol".
• To eliminate allergic reactions, Loratadin, Suprastin are prescribed.

If the disease does not go away, antibiotics are completely contraindicated, such a method as piercing the sinus through the skin and injecting the drug is carried out.

Treatment regimen

It is quite difficult to treat sinusitis during pregnancy, as many drugs are contraindicated, and those that are allowed may not have the expected result. The following treatment regimen is considered quite effective:

• If body temperature is high, paracetamol should be taken.
• Rinse your nose every three hours with saline, tincture of chamomile, calendula, sage.
• Only in extreme cases, you can use vasoconstrictor drugs, best at night, and you can use them for no more than 3 days.
• Use mucolytics.
• If antibiotics are prescribed, they should be taken strictly according to the doctor's recommendation and under his supervision.
• Comply with pastel mode for about 5 days.
• Observe the drinking regimen, water helps to remove all harmful substances from the body and will not allowthe occurrence of dehydration at high temperature.
• Follow a special diet, the diet should include meat and fish, stewed vegetables, fruits, dairy products, soups, cereals. From drinks, you should drink fruit drinks, compotes, tea with lemon, honey, raspberries.

Folk methods

Folk treatments for sinusitis during pregnancy should be discussed with your doctor, and only after that you can use them. Since seemingly harmless herbs and decoctions can provoke uterine tone, premature birth and other negative consequences.

In the treatment of sinusitis, as a rule, chamomile decoction, s alt-soda-iodine solution, sea s alt solution are used for washing.

Carrot, onion, beet juice is instilled to liquefy and facilitate the waste of mucus.

At the first signs of sinusitis, you need to consult your doctor and treat the disease from the first days.

Sinusitis prevention

Sinusitis is easier to prevent than to treat for a long time. The main principle of disease prevention is the correct and timely treatment of an infectious disease. It is necessary to regularly rinse the nose from viruses, allergens, to avoid hypothermia. During the epidemic of viruses and colds, it is better to avoid public places.

At the first sign of a cold, you should immediately consult a doctor. He will make a diagnosis and select the best course of treatment.

During treatment:

• You can't do it yourselfprescribe medications for yourself or replace medications prescribed by a doctor with analogues.
• When swelling of the mucous membrane should be washed with saline solution of the nose as often as possible.
• Create optimal conditions in a living space, a temperature of 20 ºC and a humidity of 75% are considered favorable.
• Perform regular wet cleaning in the room.
• Ventilate the bedroom regularly.
• Strengthen immunity.
• Establish a balanced diet.

After treatment, a pregnant woman must observe the following preventive measures:

• Walk more often.
• Ventilate and humidify the living space.
• Exclude contact with sick people.
• Strengthen immunity.
• Exercise daily.
• Take prenatal vitamins.
• Take a contrast shower.

Reviews

Reviews about sinusitis during pregnancy are always negative. Many women complain of headaches, severe nasal congestion, which does not go away for a long time and prevents them from fully resting and leading a normal life. After taking antibiotics, their condition improved significantly. It should be noted that the opinion of doctors about antibiotic therapy during pregnancy is not unambiguous. Some consider this method of treatment unacceptable, others are of the opinion that the harm from sinusitis for the body of a woman and a child is more dangerous than the use of a medicine, especially a local one.

Somewomen note problems with bearing a baby that developed after sinusitis. They note that they began to experience fatigue, drowsiness, loss of energy.

Most pregnant women were afraid to take medication during their respiratory illness, which led to the complication of sinusitis. These women are advised to always adhere to the treatment regimen selected by the doctor.

Instead of a conclusion

Don't start the disease or let things take their course. The fight against a cold is, of course, unpleasant, but the right approach to it, regular preventive measures, stimulation of the immune system - all this ensures that sinusitis will not bother you during pregnancy and will not cause a lot of trouble.

Pregnancy is a responsible state of a woman, it requires a reverent and careful attitude to her body. Before starting any treatment, you should always consult a good doctor.

Attentive attitude to yourself and your he alth, timely access to specialists will allow a woman to enjoy pregnancy, and not waste her strength, nerves and money on the treatment of diseases.