Mycosis of the sinuses is a disease whose symptoms may appear in people with chronic sinusitis. Sinus fungus can also develop in patients who have undergone dental treatment. Regardless of the causes of sinus mycosis, treatment is long-term and the disease has a tendency to relapse. Additionally, for some patients, sinus candidiasis can be life-threatening.

Sinus fungusis a fungal infection that affects the air-filled spaces inside some bones of the skull. Mycosis usually affects the maxillary, frontal, sphenoidal and ethmoid sinuses. Inflammation of the paranasal sinuses is most often caused by viral or bacteria, less often fungi.

There are invasive and non-invasive fungal sinusitis. The latter group includes mycelium formation (a structure formed by a compacted mycelium), allergic fungal sinusitis, chronic fungal sinusitis, and granulomatous sinusitis. The first group includes acute fulminant sinusitis, which leads to the development of ischemic tissue, including bone, necrosis.

Mycosis of the sinuses - causes

Sinus disease can develop in people with chronic sinusitis, as well as in those who often struggle with respiratory infections.

The cause of sinus mycosis may also be anatomical abnormalities, such as: hypertrophy of the palatine and pharyngeal tonsils, deviated nasal septum, nasal polyps.

Fungal sinusitis is most often caused by fungi such as Candida, Aspergillus, Brush and Alternaria, which are responsible for allergic fungal sinusitis.

People who are chronically ill, with impaired immunity, such as diabetics, cancer patients, chronically taking antibiotics or immunosuppression after organ transplantation, as well as people with HIV, are also at risk of sinus fungus. It is this group of patients that is most at risk of developing acute fulminant sinusitis.

Mycosis of the sinuses can also occur in patients receiving dental treatment. The development of sinus mycosis is possible after introducing an infection from the oral cavity to the maxillary sinus during root canal treatment or after a tooth extraction.

According to an expertprof. dr hab. med.Antoni Krzeski, head of the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic of the Medical and Dental Faculty of the Medical University of Warsaw

What are the causes of maxillary sinus fungus and how is it treated?

Prof. dr hab. med. Antoni Krzeski, ENT specialist: Madam, it is not clear why mycelium develops in the paranasal sinuses in the sinus. It is often seen in people who have displaced the paste used during endodontic treatment into the maxillary sinus. It requires surgical treatment. Conservative treatment does not cure.

Mycosis of the sinuses - symptoms

Symptoms of mycosis of the sinuses are:

The main symptoms of sinus mycosis are pain in the area of ​​the sinuses, head, discharge running down the throat, unpleasant smell from the mouth.

  • pain in the area of ​​the sinuses
  • headache
  • nasal congestion and swelling
  • qatar
  • eyelid swelling
  • feeling of secretions running down the back of the throat
  • bad breath
  • weakness
  • possible nosebleeds

Mycosis of the sinuses - diagnosis

If fungal sinusitis is suspected, blood tests, CT scan of the sinuses and mycological examination of sinus material are performed to determine which fungus is causing the disease.

Mycosis of the sinuses - treatment

Treatment of sinus mycosis consists of endoscopic surgery, which is a minimally invasive and very effective method of treating the disease, and administration of systemic antifungal drugs such as amphotericin B, flucytosine, fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, caspofungin or mikafungin.

Sinus fungus treatment usually takes up to a year or more.

Treatment is usually long-term (even a year or more), and after its completion, patients should remain under constant medical supervision, because a significant proportion of patients experience relapse.

Home remedies may help to rinse the nasal cavity and sinuses - usually with saline or sea water. Saline inhalations are also recommended,

Mycosis of the sinuses - complications

Mycosis of the sinuses can spread to adjacent structures, leading to complications. For example, if the inflammation has spread to the ethmoid sinuses, the inflammation may progress to the orbit and the development of the orbital apical syndrome (impaired vision and eye mobility).

In immunocompromised patients, the fungal infection can be electrifying and sometimes even fatal.

Sick bay

The sinuses warm, moisturize and clean the air you breathe. As a result, it does not irritate the mucosa of the respiratory tract as it passes further into the throat and lungs. The nose and sinuses are also the first immune barrier to viruses, bacteria and allergens. What Happens When Your Sinuses Are Sick? What are the most common sinus problems? These and many other questions related to sinus diseases are answered by our otolaryngologist, Michał Michalik.

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ENT