Health Tip: When Sinusitis Affects Children

Here are potential risk factors

February 18, 2011 RSS Feed Print

(HealthDay News) -- Sinusitis occurs when the air-filled cavities inside the skull become inflamed.

The University of Maryland Medical Center says these factors increase your child's risk of developing sinusitis:

Having hay fever or allergic rhinitis (a stuffy or runny nose often accompanied by itchy eyes and post-nasal drip).
Being in daycare.
Having a condition that affects the cilia (small hairs in the sinuses).
Undergoing altitude changes, such as those that occur during air travel or scuba diving.
Having enlarged adenoids, or rarely, an infected tooth.
Having a immune system that's compromised by chemotherapy, HIV infection or other conditions.
Having cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease that results in thick, sticky mucus in the lungs and digestive tract.