It’s not a cold. It’s not the flu. It’s…a child sinus infection?
A child sinus infection, also called sinusitis, doesn’t get as much attention as some other common ailments. But it’s possible for kids to get them. So if your child comes down with sinus problems, what do you do?
First, some background. Kids with sinus infections might show symptoms like:
- Nasal congestion
- Thick, yellow nasal discharge
- Low-grade fever
- Coughing (mostly in the daytime)
- Lingering bad breath
There are options to Antibiotics for a Sinus Infection
If a pediatrician or sinus doctor diagnoses your child with a sinus infection, there are a few options for treatment. Based on recent changes to the American Academy of Pedriatrics’ treatment guidelines, some doctors are now waiting longer to give out antibiotics.
Old guidelines encouraged docs to prescribe antibiotics for kids with a bacterial sinus infection that lasted a week to 10 days. But now, docs can use a “wait and see” approach and observe kids for up to 72 hours past that 10-day mark before issuing antibiotics.
That means kids with less severe symptoms (symptoms that would usually go away on their own) don’t always have to take medicine.
So what treatment options are left? Besides antibiotics, doctors sometimes recommend nasal decongestant sprays or saline sprays. However, many over-the-counter decongestants and antihistamines aren’t recommended for children — and children under age 2 definitely shouldn’t take them.
If it’s chronic, call a doctor
If your child has sinusitis that lasts longer than 12 weeks or has four or more sinus infections in a year, then chronic sinusitis might be to blame. For chronic sinusitis, a sinus specialist might recommend other medicinal or surgical treatments.
Sinus issues are different for every child. If you need advice about your child’s symptoms, give our NY sinus doctors a call for a consultation right away.