A latest research perspective was published in Oncoscience (Volume 10) on May 27, 2023, entitled, “Think outside the box – atypical infections in chronic sinusitis.”

Inflammations of the paranasal sinuses represent a standard clinical picture. The annual prevalence of chronic sinusitis in Europe is as much as 10%. Sinusitis could be divided into acute and chronic forms. Particularly, the chronic forms (>12 weeks duration) are sometimes difficult within the context of therapy.

Generally, all ventilation disorders of the paranasal sinuses (concha bullosa, nasal septal deviations, etc.,) represent risk aspects for the event of any type of sinusitis. As well as, an immune deficiency or systemic diseases relevant to the immune system predispose to infections with atypical pathogens. Most sinusitis are attributable to viruses, sometimes bacteria and, in rare cases, fungal infections. Moreover, sinusitis could be differentiated with regard to the affected paranasal sinuses.

Along with conservative treatment options for chronic sinusitis (glucocorticoid nasal sprays, antibiotics, antimycotics, immunotherapy), surgical procedures (functional endoscopic sinus surgery) will also be considered. Nonetheless, chronic sinusitis tends towards a high rate of recurrences. Due to this fact, in lots of cases only symptom control is achieved. Of their recent research perspective, researchers Florian Dudde, Kai-Olaf Henkel and Filip Barbarewicz from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Army Hospital Hamburg discuss treatment refractory types of chronic sinusitis with unclear etiology. The authors note that these cases require interdisciplinary diagnostics and treatment, which they were in a position to show clearly of their recently published article.

“Fungal infections are a rare reason for sinusitis. An in depth anamnesis and clinical examination of the patient must be carried out, particularly within the case of therapy refractory types of chronic sinusitis. It’s also vital to think about atypical causes and disease connections (root canal treatment, aspergilloma) when coping with chronic sinusitis. Interdisciplinary diagnostics and therapy are crucial for the successful treatment of this rare entity.”

Source:

Journal reference:

https://doi.org/10.18632/oncoscience.576