Chronic Sinusitis

慢性鼻窦炎，亦称慢性化脓性鼻窦炎。常因急性化脓性鼻窦炎反复发作未能得到适当治疗所致。以多粘液或脓性鼻涕、鼻塞、头痛及嗅觉减退或消失为主要临床症状。现代西医学除穿刺冲洗、手术疗法外，尚无理想的治疗措施。西医认为：多为急性鼻窦炎未能及时合理治疗或急性鼻窦炎性反复发作所致感冒长时间没有治愈引起的。有半数以上的患者双亲一定曾经也有过这种病史，也就是说先天性的遗传因素和本病息息相关。是由于细菌的侵入，引起鼻窦发炎，使粘膜浮肿而积脓。中医认为：慢性鼻窦炎发病数占耳鼻喉科初诊病人13.02%。鼻居面中，为阳中之阳，是清阳交会处，鼻又为一身血脉所经，故鼻与脏腑经络有着密切的联系。急鼻渊在外虽表现于鼻，但却反映了体内脏腑、经络的病变。临床上，多由于素体偏弱，加上生活起居失常，寒暖不调，受凉受湿或过度疲劳之后，外邪侵袭引起肺、脾、胆之病变而发病。

Do you experience chronic sinusitis? Treatment may be coming your way! Learn more on this Moment of Science.

What I would give if my sinus(窦) problems would go away. The headaches, the face aches, the congestion(鼻塞)–and sometimes it lasts for months and months on end. Antihistamines(抗组胺) and other sinus medications don’t seem to help much.

The problem may be that your chronic sinusitis is caused by an allergic(过敏的) reaction to (1)fungus(真菌).What I mean is that if that is the case, then the current sinus medications on the market aren’t treating the root of the problem. About five years ago, scientists discovered that the majority of patients who had surgery to treat their chronic sinusitis had fungal(真菌的) organisms(有机体) in their mucus(黏液).

(2)Clumped(形成一团) around those fungi(真菌类), they discovered (3)inflammatory(炎症性的) cells, meaning that these people’s immune systems were engaged in battle with the fungi. Common (4)airborne(空气传播的) fungi make their way into the mucus lining of the sinuses in most people.

The problem arises when this fungi triggers an immune response, which it does only in people with chronic sinusitis. It’s this immune system response that damages the sinuses in the process of attacking the fungi.

Is fungus a common cause of Chronic Sinusitis?

Scientists don’t know yet for certain whether or not fungus is a common cause of chronic sinusitis–fungus could account for as few as five percent of chronic sinusitis cases to as many as eighty percent. Several trials of an anti-fungal treatment have been successful in treating the majority of people tested though.

More such trials will eventually lead to a more precise answer to your question. The treatment is still awaiting FDA(Food and Drug Administration (美)食品及药物管理局) approval, but if approved, for those whose chronic sinusitis is caused by fungus, anti-fungal therapy(疗法) will make their lives a lot easier.

注释：

(1)fungus['f??g?s]

n.

1.菌类植物[C]

Mushrooms, toadstools and mildew are all fungi.

蘑菇、蕈与白霉都是菌类植物。

2.真菌[U]

My roses were suffering from fungus.

我的玫瑰受到真菌的侵害。

(2)clump[kl?mp]

n.

1.丛;树丛;矮树丛[C][(+of)]

a clump of bushes

灌木丛

2.堆,块,团[C][(+of)]

a clump of earth

一团泥土

3.沉重的脚步声[S]

vi.

1.以沉重的步子行走[Q]

She clumps about in her heavy boots.

她脚穿厚靴迈着沉重的步子到处走。

2.形成一丛(或一堆、一团等)

The bacteria clumped together.

细菌结成一团。

vt.

1.使成一丛(或一堆、一团等)

2.使凝结成块

(3)inflammatory[in'fl?m?t?ri]

adj.

1.刺激性的, 煽动性的

2.【医】发炎的; 引起炎症的, 易红肿的

3.易燃的, 易着火的

inflammatory speeches

煽动性演说

an inflammatory condition of the tonsils

扁桃腺发炎

(4)airborne['??b?:n]

adj.

1.空中的

2.航空的, 空动的, 机载的, 风成的; 空降的

Our plane has lifted off the runway and is now airborne.

我们的飞机已经离开跑道，在空中飞行。

3.完全由空气支持(起来)的

4.通过无线电(电视)播送的

5.空气传播的

airborne bacteria

空气传播的细菌