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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 1999;281:1368.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Relatively inexpensive antibiotics (such as amoxicillin or folate inhibitors) are as effective as newer and more costly antibiotics (such as third-generation cephalosporins) in treating uncomplicated acute bacterial sinusitis, according to a new report sponsored by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR).

Moreover, while more patients were cured, and cured earlier when treated with antibiotics rather than placebo, about two thirds of the patients receiving placebo recovered without antibiotics, the report noted. The report also found that using x-rays or other diagnostic procedures is not a cost-effective initial strategy for evaluating patients with uncomplicated sinusitis.

The report, developed for AHCPR by the New England Medical Center Evidence-based Practice Center in partnership with other medical organizations, was based on 48 studies published within the last 30 years involving more than 5000 patients, including adults and children.

A summary of Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 9, Diagnosis and . . . [Full Text of this Article]