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The Link Between Allergies And Sinus Infections in Children

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What's the link between allergies and sinus infections in children? In a word—congestion.

Sinus infections don't just form on their own; normal sinuses do not present the right conditions for a sinus infection, or sinusitis, to develop. A progression of factors has to occur first.

Road To Sinus Infection In Children—Blockage

Normally functioning sinuses can clear mucus and congestion on their own, and so sinus infections do not have the opportunity to develop. Often children with allergies can continue to clear nasal congestion and will not experience a sinus infection.

When the sinuses become blocked, however, mucus builds up and creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, fungi, and viruses—a moist, warm, enclosed space with a medium for growth.

There are a few ways that allergies can cause sinus blockages that result in sinus infections.

• Continuous production of mucus in large amounts is too much for the child's drainage system to handle, so mucus causes congestion that backs up into or remains in the sinus cavities.
• Dry, crusted mucus blocks the exits of the sinus drains
• Swelling and inflammation narrow sinus drainage points

Road To Sinus Infection In Children—Inflammation

Inflammation is considered a symptom of sinus infection in children. It can either cause the infection if a cold or allergy irritates nasal and sinus linings, or it can result from a sinus infection after pathogens have set in. In either case, inflammation exacerbates drainage problems and creates a better environment for bacterial, viral, and fungal growth.

Road To Sinus Infection In Children—Aggravators

Certain factors aggravate nasal allergy symptoms and sinuses, and can make sinuses more receptive to infection. The presence of any of the following puts a child at a chance of developing infected sinuses.

• Asthma
• Deviations of the septum
• Cigarette smoke
• Immune problems
• Ear infections
• Gastro esophageal Reflux
• Swimming
• Cystic fibrosis
• Dry air

Linking Allergies And Sinus Infections In Children

Sinus infections require some sort of primary condition in order to develop. It may be a common cold or flu, but in many children the primary condition is an allergy that causes nasal congestion and nasal allergy symptoms. If the primary condition can be prevented or controlled, a sinus infection can often be prevented.

Allergy prevention consists primarily of allergen avoidance, but there are some measures that can be taken during an allergy attack to prevent a sinus infection in children with allergies.

• Humidifying the air can keep mucus fluid and moving
• Decongestants help clear congestion
• Antihistamines can reduce swelling and inflammation and prevent drainage
• Nasal sprays and saline flushes can help move out mucus congestion

If allergies and sinus infections in children are related, it is worth knowing so that these preventative measures can be taken; preventing a bacterial sinus infection means a child will not have to rely as heavily on antibiotics, which also helps reduce instances of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (and that's good for everybody).

Preventing sinus infections also reduces the likelihood of an acute sinus infection becoming a chronic condition that might require heavy medication or may cause serious nasal or sinus and bone damage which requires surgery.

All the links between allergies and sinus infections in children do not focus on the infection; sinus infections can also serve as a symptom for child allergies. A child that repeatedly suffers from sinus infections may have undiagnosed allergies. When a child experiences many sinus infections the possibility of allergies as the cause should be explored with the help of the child's primary care doctor.

Neither allergies nor sinus infections are conditions that are clear-cut all of the time; in both cases, the condition itself must be managed along with secondary and exacerbating conditions. Often, the best health management of allergies and sinus infections in children is a matter of finding the link between the two, so that both conditions can be controlled through allergy control measures.

 

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