Acute Sinusitis—To Treat or Not to Treat?
- Morten Lindbaek, MD
- Author Affiliations: Department of General Practice, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
- Corresponding Author: Morten Lindbaek, MD, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, 0317 Blindern, Norway (morten.lindbak{at}medisin.uio.no).
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- ADRENAL CORTEX HORMONES
- AMOXICILLIN
- ANTIBACTERIAL AGENTS
- BUDESONIDE
- DRUG THERAPY
- GLUCOCORTICOIDS
- MAXILLARY SINUSITIS
- SINUSITIS
Acute sinusitis is a common clinical problem in general practice. Approximately 0.5% to 2% of all episodes of the common cold develop into a purulent sinusitis; and in European general practice, 1% to 2% of all patient visits to physicians are for suspected acute sinusitis.1 In the United States, there is a clear discrepancy between the patient's perception and the physician's diagnosis. “I have a sinus problem” is one of the most common reasons for clinical encounters in the United States and accounts for 25 million office visits per year.2
Despite randomized controlled trials showing lack of benefit of antibiotics for clinically diagnosed acute sinusitis and a number of rather strict guidelines for the use of antibiotics, acute sinusitis is still one of the most common reasons that clinicians prescribe antibiotics to adults. In the United States and the United Kingdom, more than 90% of adults seen for …
