Sinus Infections in Children... Too young or not?

[TessaKrista]

Hi,

 

I read somewhere in these posts about sinus infections, and just wanted to share with you that my 7 year old son's pediatrician does not believe that young children can have sinus infections because their sinuses are not well developed. I am putting this out there to all of you, wondering what info you might have on this topic. My little boy always seemed to be stuffed up, and I had asked her on a few occasions whether or not it was possible that he had a sinus infection when he was 4, 5 and 6 years old. The thing that prompted me to ask was that I had a number of sinus infections, and wondered whether my little boy could also have them, or caught them from me. Even though his pediatrician repeatedly said that there was no chance that a child could have sinus infections, every time that I would have one, and my son would complain that his nose seemed so stuffed up for such a long time, I would of course ask her once again about it.

 

When have your children been diagnosed with sinus infections, or what is the youngest age that you have heard sinus infections being diagnosed in children?

 

Aren't they contagious? Is there a link with strep? Are they connected to pneumonia somehow?

 

What about itchy inner ears? Has anyone experienced that? Have your children ever complained about having itchy inner ears to the point where they make this noise to try to itch deep inside? I do that too, and my father does that. What the heck is the itchy inner ear thing about? Is that connected to a sinus thing...strep thing.. allergies...a cold...or just something else? The pediatrician has always said that his ears look fine, even though he complains that they are very itchy inside.

[Suzan]

Good morning,

 

My girls were both diagnosed with sinus infections at early ages (3??) and basically every cold they ever had turned into one so I'll have to disagree with your doc. Regarding the itchy ears, I think that might be allergies. My dd's ears itch (mine too) and they try to scratch them by making those weird noises too. His ears could look fine to the Ped but could be irritatted from allergies. Maybe have him tested by an allergist/immunoloigist?

 

GOOD LUCK!

 

Susan

[thereishope]

My son at age 6 had a sinus infection. First given amox. After a couple days, he still sounded off so I called and they changed to Augmentin. That worked at first. Finished the script and a week later he was sounding swollen again. Took him back and the doctor was surprised it still didn't clear up,. Gave him another script,but longer, for Augmentin. That time it cleared up. The doctor also gave him a script for Flonase the second time. He said not only viruses, but allergies can cause sinus infections.

 

My sone never complained about the infection being uncomfortable and never complained of headaches. I just saw it as a cold that wouldn't clear up and finally I just brought him in. It was an infection.

 

With ear infections, that same son used to say something like he had water in his ears or they were itchy when he had an infection. He hasn't had one of those in years.

Edited July 6, 2010 by Vickie

[Phasmid]

I'm going to be very harsh here... this physician sounds challenged. This is plain STUPID. I am hoping that you misunderstood and he/she isn't really this dumb?

 

Small children GET sinus infections BECAUSE of the small sinuses! Because the space is small, the sinuses have difficulty draining, especially when mucous is thick.

 

My son had sinus infections as early as I can remember.

[EAMom]

Here are some articles:

 

http://www.sinusinfectionhelp.com/sinus-in...n-children.html

 

http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-c...yle-536541.html

 

and apparently even infants can get sinus infections http://parenting.lifestyle.excite.com/feat...cold/index.html

 

 

I wonder if "children don't get sinus infections" is an urban legend...like "babies/toddlers under a certain age don't get strep" (hence they are never cultured, and you never know that theyactually DO have strep).

[kimballot]

Hello - yes - it is true that babies are born with underdeveloped sinuses and the sinuses develop and fill with air as the children age. My 13 year old son still does not have frontal sinuses in the forehead area. Here is some info on how sinuses are developed. http://www.ajronline.org/cgi/reprint/160/5/1101.pdf

 

Hi,

 

I read somewhere in these posts about sinus infections, and just wanted to share with you that my 7 year old son's pediatrician does not believe that young children can have sinus infections because their sinuses are not well developed. I am putting this out there to all of you, wondering what info you might have on this topic. My little boy always seemed to be stuffed up, and I had asked her on a few occasions whether or not it was possible that he had a sinus infection when he was 4, 5 and 6 years old.

 

I had also been told that in general, babies do not develop sinus infections for this reason. However, my son had problems breathing from the time I brought him home from the hospital. We checked him for many things, including reflux and cystic fibrosis... but by 4 months of age it was clear that whatever sinus he had was infected and he was started on antibiotics at that age... and they worked (while he took them - once he stopped he could not breathe again!). By 10 months old he was at ENT and I think he had his first CAT scan at 3 years old, which showed chronic severe allergies and sinusitis. He actually had his first sinus surgery at 5 years old, which is very young.. but was VERY necessary for him.

 

The thing that prompted me to ask was that I had a number of sinus infections, and wondered whether my little boy could also have them, or caught them from me. Even though his pediatrician repeatedly said that there was no chance that a child could have sinus infections, every time that I would have one, and my son would complain that his nose seemed so stuffed up for such a long time, I would of course ask her once again about it.

 

My understanding is that sinus infections are generally not considered to be contagious. The sinuses normally contain certain levels of bacteria, which is kept in check by our immune system and by our anatomy (mucus and cilia keep the bacteria moving). When we have a cold or allergies, the mucosal lining swells up and also produces increased amounts of mucus. This makes it difficult for the mucus to drain. Having sedentary mucus sets up a warm, moist environment that is perfect for excessive growth of bacteria, which is an infection. So.. if you have a sinus infection and then your son gets one, you may have passed a cold on to him or you may both be allergic to the same things.

 

Is there a link with strep? Are they connected to pneumonia somehow?

 

My understanding is that the main bacteria that lives in sinuses is strep pneumoniae, also called pneumococcus. This is not the strep that we talk about when we talk about strep throat (that is Group A Beta Hemolytic Strep or GABHS). S pneumoniae is one cause of pneumonia (though there are several others including mycoplasma), but strep pnemoniae is really responsible for many sinus infections. (see http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/225811-overview )

 

Sinus infections can also be caused by staph and some believe by GABHS - though GABHS in sinus mucus is rarely reported in the literature and some believe it does NOT populate the sinuses.

 

What about itchy inner ears? Has anyone experienced that? Have your children ever complained about having itchy inner ears to the point where they make this noise to try to itch deep inside? I do that too, and my father does that. What the heck is the itchy inner ear thing about? Is that connected to a sinus thing...strep thing.. allergies...a cold...or just something else? The pediatrician has always said that his ears look fine, even though he complains that they are very itchy inside.

 

Itchy inner ears are usually a sign of allergies. Yes - my kids want me to scratch them if I could... and I have allergies and experience the same feeling. If you are having itchy inner ears and lots of sinusitis I would recommend a good allergy work up and also trying antihistimines to try to decrease the allergic reaction.

 

I hope that is helpful. I know there is lots of info on the forum.

 

Best wishes as you put the pieces of your child's puzzle together! I think you mentioned that you are going to be starting with a PANDAS doctor soon and that will help you fit the pieces of the puzzle together very well.

[TessaKrista]

Thank you to everyone, for all of your input on this topic. My son's pediatrician is a neonatologist, and she has repeatedly said that young children's sinuses are not developed, thus they cannot get sinus infections. I see from this post that although it is true that young children's sinuses are not well developed, some children do have well developed sinuses when they are young. Very interesting.

 

Yes... my 7 year old boy was tested for allergies when he was 3 years old, because he always seemed stuffed up, had shiners under his eyes, and he had an itchy rash/reaction to biaxin and to novo amox I believe it is called. Anyways, at 3 the allergist tested him and it was confirmed that he has severe allergies to dust mites and mold.

 

At 5 we finally got tested at The Hospital For Sick Children (HSC) for penicillin allergy, and they said that he will not have a severe reaction. It seems that every allergy doctor and hospital was missing the third component of the penicillin test. It was odd. His allergy doctor was missing it, and I asked for a referral to another allergy doctor, who had the same story. Then she referred him to Sick Children's Hospital, and they were missing it too. So, they did an oral challenge test with two components. Whatever. I wonder if this was only in Canada, or if the States also had this issue. Anyways...they weren't able to test for biaxin though. When he had a script for pen v, he had an itchy rash on his back as well. However, he's been on azithromycin, with absolutely no rash, which is great. I guess that it is not in the penicillin family, or something, because his typical response has always been to have some kind of rash.

 

When he was 3 years old, he had an x-ray of his adenoids, and it showed that they were enlarged at the time. The doctor from HSC said that they should shrink by the time he is 7, and if not, then we could consider surgery. He strongly recommended against surgery.

 

Once again, thanks for your posts. Wow... there is a world of information on this site!

[Stephanie2]

Itchy inner ears could be a sign of yeast (due to recent antibiotics/not enough probiotics?). Also, I do believe that kids can have sinus infections at a young age. My 2 year old had them in his first year of life until we were able to improve his immune system.

 

Stephanie

 

Hi,

 

I read somewhere in these posts about sinus infections, and just wanted to share with you that my 7 year old son's pediatrician does not believe that young children can have sinus infections because their sinuses are not well developed. I am putting this out there to all of you, wondering what info you might have on this topic. My little boy always seemed to be stuffed up, and I had asked her on a few occasions whether or not it was possible that he had a sinus infection when he was 4, 5 and 6 years old. The thing that prompted me to ask was that I had a number of sinus infections, and wondered whether my little boy could also have them, or caught them from me. Even though his pediatrician repeatedly said that there was no chance that a child could have sinus infections, every time that I would have one, and my son would complain that his nose seemed so stuffed up for such a long time, I would of course ask her once again about it.

 

When have your children been diagnosed with sinus infections, or what is the youngest age that you have heard sinus infections being diagnosed in children?

 

Aren't they contagious? Is there a link with strep? Are they connected to pneumonia somehow?

 

What about itchy inner ears? Has anyone experienced that? Have your children ever complained about having itchy inner ears to the point where they make this noise to try to itch deep inside? I do that too, and my father does that. What the heck is the itchy inner ear thing about? Is that connected to a sinus thing...strep thing.. allergies...a cold...or just something else? The pediatrician has always said that his ears look fine, even though he complains that they are very itchy inside.

[kim]

Itchy inner ears could be a sign of yeast

 

That was my thought too.

 

My oldest son had those itchy ears and it was awful.

 

Sweet Cheeks MOM, did your son have cradle cap as a baby? How about excessive ear wax?

[TessaKrista]

Yes, my son had cradle cap as a baby, and he now has a lot of ear wax. When I was pregnant, the GBS test was positive, so they pumped me with antibiotics when I went into labour, and they gave my baby antibiotics for the first 4 days of his life. He ended up getting really bad red peeling stuff in his diaper area, and was given some sort of steroid thing that helped deal with yeast infection.