Pathophysiology, favoring factors, and associated disorders in otorhinosinusology.

The pathogenesis of rhinosinusitis (RS) is related to inflammation, caused by infections in the acute form of the disease but also by other agents in the chronic forms. Cytology allows to evaluate the defensive components, such as hair cells and muciparous cells, while the presence in the nasal mucosa of eosinophils, mast cells, bacteria and/or fungal hyphae, or spores indicates the nasal pathology. The anatomic and physiologic characteristics of the otorhinosinusal system account for the frequent concomitant involvement of the different components. The pivotal pathophysiologic sites are the ostiomeatal complex, the spheno-ethmoidal recess, and the Eustachian tube. The latter is the link with acute otitis media (AOM), which is the most common disease in infants and children and has major medical, social, and economic effects. Moreover, because of the strict relationship between upper and lower airways, nasal sinus disease may contribute to asthma and sinusitis may be considered as an independent factor associated with frequent severe asthma exacerbations. Concerning the role of allergy, the available data do not permit to attribute a central role to atopy in sinusitis and thus allergy testing should not be a routine procedure, while an allergologic evaluation may be indicated in children with OM, especially when they have concomitant rhinitis.

Diagnosis of acute rhinosinusitis.

Rhinosinusitis is almost always a complication of a viral infection involving the upper respiratory tract. A common cold is the first symptom of rhinosinusitis, but infectious processes involving the nose inevitably affect the paranasal sinuses because of their anatomical contiguity. The symptoms remain those of a common cold as long as nasal phlogosis is moderate and the ostia between the nose and sinuses are patent. If the inflammation is intense, edema may obliterate the ostia and isolate the sinuses, thus stopping the removal of the exudates. The duration of symptoms makes it possible to distinguish acute (10-30 days) from subacute (30-90 days) and chronic rhinosinusitis (>90 days). The diagnosis of rhinosinusitis should only be based on anamnestic and clinical criteria in children with serious or persistent symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, or which appear within a short time of an apparent recovery. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance images of the paranasal sinuses should be reserved for children reasonably considered to be candidates for surgery. Antibiotics are recommended in cases of mild acute bacterial rhinosinusitis as a means of accelerating the resolution of symptoms. The use of antibiotics is mandatory in severe acute bacterial rhinosinusitis to cure the disease and avoid the possible onset of severe complications.