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A study published in the March 2007, issue of the scientific periodical the
Archives of Otolaryngology, suggested that antibiotics are being greatly
overprescribed for sinus infections because most cases are caused by a virus
rather than bacteria, and antibiotics have no beneficial effect on viruses. This
study looked at two national surveys of patient data from 1999 to 2002 and
showed that there were 14.28 million doctor visits for diagnosed chronic
rhinosinusitis (sinus infections) and another 3.12 million for acute
rhinosinusitis.
The study showed that in the acute cases, 83 percent of patients were treated
with antibiotics, additionally 70 percent of the chronic sufferers were treated
with antibiotics. According to a March 19, 2007, article on the study, WebMD
notes that only "about 3 percent to 5 percent of acute sinus infections are
bacterial in nature, meaning that they respond to antibiotic treatment."
Dr. Don Leopold, chair of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Department
of Otolaryngology who worked on the sinus study commented, "We don't want to be
using up our antibiotics on these people." He further noted that there are no
approved drugs to treat sinus infections and no recommended course of treatment.
In an interview with WebMD Dr. Leopold added, "By the current guidelines it does
appear that antibiotics are being overused. This may be due to the fact that we
feel the need to give patients something and there are not a lot of effective
treatments. And it could be that antibiotics really do help patients feel
better."
Dr. David Spiro, a pediatrician and professor at Oregon Health and Science
University, commented on the rate of antibiotic treatment for sinus infections
and commented that it is "extremely high for a condition that, for the most
part, self-resolves." He added, "Antibiotics are not harmless. They have side
effects themselves. You can have a really severe allergic reaction."
In an interview in the same article, ear, nose, and throat specialist Michael
Benninger, MD, told WebMD that in Europe, antibiotics are rarely prescribed for
sinus infections. He noted, "In this country, I really don't think we have
gotten to the point where we tell patients they don't need antibiotics." He
added, "The bottom line is we should not be treating a virus with an antibiotic,
and we should not assume that antibiotics are the best treatment for acute or
chronic rhinosinusitis."
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