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The ten-day mark as a practical diagnostic approach for acute paranasal sinusitis in children
Background:
Sinusitis is one of the diseases most frequently overlooked by the primary practitioner.
Methods:
We suspected the diagnosis of sinusitis in children with respiratory symptoms that persisted for > 10 days: the 10-day mark. A radiographic projection of maxillary sinuses (Water's view) was indicated, and patients with abnormal radiographs were diagnosed as having sinusitis. After antimicrobial treatment for 2 weeks, we evaluated clinical outcome and follow-up radiographs.
Results:
The 10-day mark culled 146 suspected children from 2013 outpatients with respiratory complaints. Water's view radiographs revealed sinusitis in 135 patients (92.5% of the suspected children). They included 35 patients with allergy. After treatment only 4 patients in the allergy group (11%) improved completely. In contrast 61 nonallergic patients (61%) were completely improved.
Conclusions:
The 10-day mark is a simple and practical diagnostic basis for acute paranasal sinusitis. The associated allergic respiratory diseases respond infrequently to antimicrobial treatment.