The fight against sinusitis/ Interview with Dr. Jean-Claude Bakpatina, General Practitioner at the « Floréal » clinic in Lomé

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Extract from the article: Sinusitis is an infectious or non-infectious inflammation of the sinuses. According to Dr. Jean-Claude Bakpatina, General Practitioner at the "Floréal" clinic in Lomé, sinusitis manifests itself in a variety of ways. Can it be prevented? What about t

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« Although it may seem commonplace, sinusitis, although easily treatable, is a serious disease with potential complications that can lead to death »

 

Sinusitis is an infectious or non-infectious inflammation of the sinuses. According to Dr. Jean-Claude Bakpatina, General Practitioner at the "Floréal" clinic in Lomé, sinusitis manifests itself in a variety of ways. Can it be prevented? What about treatment? These are just some of the questions the specialist answers in this interview.

Santé-Education: What is sinusitis, and how does it manifest itself?

Dr. Jean-Claude Bakpatina: Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses, whether infectious or not (the sinuses are cavities in the bones of the face that absorb the weight of the facial bones and skull while maintaining their solidity and shape).

Signs of sinusitis include rhinorrhea (runny nose), nasal obstruction (blocked nose), smell disorders and headaches. In sinusitis due to infection, all these symptoms are associated with fever.

What causes it?

It can be of infectious origin, i.e. linked to microbes.  These include bacteria, viruses and "fungi" (also a type of microbe).  For non-infectious sinusitis, allergy comes first.

Is it hereditary, or can we talk about people at risk?

We can't talk about heredity in sinusitis, but we can talk about people at risk.Someone with a respiratory allergy can develop allergic rhino-sinusitis. There is also the case of those with a deviated separation of the nasal fossae, who will tend to have an asymmetry in the nasal fossae, and this can favour the onset of the disease. There are also general illnesses with mucus secretion disorders that can favor sinusitis.

Are there different types of sinusitis?

From the point of view of duration of evolution, we can mention acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis. Acute sinusitis has been evolving for less than three weeks, while chronic sinusitis has been evolving for more than three weeks. In terms of origin, infectious sinusitis can result from infection of the nose (rhinogen) or teeth (dental) in the maxilla.

Is it true that cold weather can trigger sinus attacks?

Some people are allergic to cold. There are also temperature variations, given that the mucous membranes of the respiratory and digestive tracts are highly sensitive to dust and hot-cold climatic changes. Thus, we can have respiratory tract irritation from intense coolness or heat, leading to sinus inflammation.

What are the complications of sinusitis?

The sinuses of the face are close to the eyes and brain.This means the microbes involved can reach them.Oculo-orbital complications can lead to blindness, and damage to the skull and brain can result in osteitis, brain abscesses and brain empyema.All these conditions are fatal, because if the brain is affected and treatment is not consistent, the result is death. And sometimes, despite treatment, after-effects can set in, such as epilepsy.Can it be prevented?

Preventive measures include general oral and dental hygiene, and protection against all factors that can trigger a respiratory allergy.The other aspect of prevention is the correct treatment of any disease affecting the nose, throat or face.

What about treatment options?

Treatment depends on the patient's condition In the case of allergic sinusitis, there's no need for antibiotics, except in the event of superinfection.However, if the infection is infectious in origin, the healthcare professional will know how to use the antibiotics necessary to prevent the infection spreading to the noble organs (eyes, brain).  If the infection is properly treated, we're cured, but not cleared of the risk of contracting it again.

What can I say to those who rely on traditional products?

Some traditional products also have virtues.I don't know of any, but there are people who find solutions in these so-called grandmotherly methods.However, the problem lies in their composition, dosage and posology.These traditional treatments need to be marked out, and we need to take a step back scientifically in order to determine the right dosage for a consistent treatment.

What difficulties do you encounter in treating your patients?
Patients don't consult us in time. They often come at a complicated stage or after having tried several products, including antibiotics.The latter are often not well adapted and can lead to microbial resistance. If the patient is not seen early enough to be treated, the result can be death or after-effects.

What practical advice can we give people?

Sinusitis is a serious illness, with potentially fatal complications, even though it may seem commonplace to most people.  In these cooler times, with their dry, dusty winds that irritate the respiratory and digestive tracts, we urge people to protect themselves from massive dusting by using nose plugs, and to avoid other risk factors such as temperature variations. In addition to the above-mentioned preventive measures, people should refrain from turning up the air-conditioning to a very low temperature if they don't have one at home (alternating intense cold and heat is not good for the respiratory tract).

Interview by Abel OZIH