Maryland State Wire

• One third of antibiotic usage in humans is unnecessary.
• 90% of patients diagnosed with acute sinusitis are prescribed antibiotics.
• Minimally invasive sinus treatments can be a better option than the constant use of antibiotics, which can lead to antibiotic resistance.

Antibiotics are frequently utilized to treat sinusitis, however excessive usage may result in significant complications in the future. Dr. Manish Khanna of Capitol Breathe Free said antibiotic resistance is becoming an issue for sinusitis sufferers. 

"It's becoming more and more of a problem nowadays, because there aren't a lot of new antibiotics out there in the pipeline," Dr. Khanna told Maryland State Wire. "I mean, I'm using the same antibiotics essentially I’d used when I started practice 13 years ago, and concerns are when patients are using antibiotic after antibiotic, there your body gets resistant to it. The bugs and the bacteria that are causing these issues are becoming more and more resistant where that patient has been on several rounds of one antibiotic after a while, it loses its efficacy."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that up to one third of antibiotic usage in humans is deemed unnecessary or inappropriate, according to Mayo Clinic.

Of adults in the U.S. who are diagnosed with acute sinusitis, which is a sinus infection lasting less than four weeks, around 90% are prescribed antibiotics, according to Web MD. Chronic sinusitis is a sinus infection that lasts for more than 12 weeks. Symptoms of sinus infections can include nasal congestion, headaches, coughing, facial pain or discomfort, and nasal drainage.

Overusing antibiotics has been linked to changes in the patient's gut microbiota, which can increase the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). The report notes that overusing antibiotics could also be a risk factor in premature death.

People who develop resistance to antibiotics can face increased risk if they experience infections related to other medical procedures such as joint replacements, organ transplants, and diabetes treatment, according to the CDC.

For patients dealing with sinusitis, there's minimally invasive treatment options available that can give them a better quality of life, without dealing with antibiotics. One of these treatment options is the balloon sinuplasty, which is a safe and minimally invasive procedure utilized by surgeons to address chronic sinusitis, according to Nuffield Health. During the process, doctors insert a guide wire equipped with a small balloon into the nostrils and navigate it to the area of blockage.