One of the most common and irritating medical conditions is sinusitis. The pain and pressure in the nasal and facial area can cause a person to be downright miserable. Each year, about 31 million Americans are diagnosed with sinusitis, and doctors often prescribe an antibiotic as part of their treatment.
Medical experts are now leaning toward a less-aggressive method. Even though studies have shown that antibiotics aren’t that effective for sinusitis, about 21 percent of antibiotic prescriptions for adults are prescribed in the U.S.
A bacterial or viral infection can be the culprit for short-term sinusitis, but a bacterial infection is the only one that may respond to antibiotics. According to most doctors, most of the cases start out as viral infections and less than 2 percent of these turn into bacterial infections.
Last year, new guidelines were issued by The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery for treating sinusitis. One of these guidelines is that doctors should usually wait 10 days before prescribing an antibiotic. If the patient is starting to feel better by then, the bug is almost always a virus, but if the sickness last more than 10 days, it is probably bacterial. At this time, if the patient’s sinusitis is pretty mild, the guidelines allow the doctor to conclude whether to prescribe an antibiotic or observe the patient for as long as another week. Some non-antibiotic treatments that the doctor may suggest to ease the patient’s sinus symptoms are decongestant sprays (use for up to 3 days), saline irrigation, topical steroids and over-the-counter pain medicines such as Tylenol or Advil.
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