Clinical Investigation of 85 Children with Acute Sinusitis

We reviewed the clinical profiles of 85 children with acute sinusitis, 68 males and 17 females aged 0 to 15 years. The length of time from the onset of symptoms to hospitalization and diagnosis was 4 hours to 7 days (average 4.3 days). The presenting symptoms were headache, periorbital swelling, fever, purulent nasal discharge, etc. Nasal allergy was diagnosed in 30 patients whose IgE antibody titers were high, over 1000IU/ml in most cases. A review of the development of acute sinusitis and its anatomic relationship explains the frequency of orbital cellulitis secondary to acute sinusitis and suggests that knowledge of this important relationship may lead to earlier diagnosis and vigorous treatment of this dangerous infection.