Why Antibiotics are Prescribed Longer Than Required for Sinus Infection

Tanuja Bisht

, Health A2Z

Do you know why antibiotics are prescribed longer, here is the answer!!

 

Antibiotic courses are usually being prescribed for more than 10 to 12 days for the treatment of an acute sinus infection in adults.

 

But according to several health societies such as the U.S. Infectious Diseases Society of America, they recommend antibiotics for only 5 to 7 days.

 

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The sinus infection or sinusitis is the most common condition for which outpatient antibiotic treatment is being prescribed.

 

Antibiotics were grouped as penicillins, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, azithromycin, cephalosporins or other; treatment duration of sinus infection was described for all antibiotic prescriptions, the all antibiotic prescriptions but excluding azithromycin.

 

Common side effects of antibiotics are rash, nausea, dizziness, yeast infections, and diarrhea. Some serious side effects of antibiotics are Clostridium difficile infection and other life-threatening allergic reactions.

 

Antibiotic resistance can also occur when the bacteria develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them and can make infections harder to treat.

 

There is a study which examines that, whether or how the duration of antibiotics prescriptions impacts the treatment of sinus infections or is potential for side effects.

 

Acute sinusitis is a sinus infection that continues less than four weeks. Chronic sinusitis continues longer than 11 to 12 weeks. Infections of the sinuses, forehead, hollow air spaces within the bones, and between the eyes, are usually caused by bacterial or viral infections. They also cause thick mucus blockage and discomfort of these cavities.

 

 

 

Research into Antibiotics and Sinus Infections:

The study published in the periodical “Journal of the American Medical Association,” which reveals that patients who got no treatment for sinus were as likely to get better than those who got the antibiotics for the sinus infection that why antibiotics are prescribed longer.

 

 

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What is Sinus?

Sinusitis or sinus is mainly described as a common inflammation of paranasal sinuses, it is the cavities that provide the mucus which is required for the nasal passages).

It can be chronic or acute, and it can also be caused by viruses, fungi, bacteria, allergies, or maybe an autoimmune reaction.

 

 

 

What are the Symptoms of Sinus?

There are several symptoms of sinus including;

  • Facial pain and pressure
  • Nasal discharge
  • Blocked nose
  • Reduced sense of smell
  • A cough
  • Congestion

 

In more advanced cases, the following symptoms may also be included;

  • Fever
  • Halitosis, or a foul-smelling breath
  • A toothache
  • Tiredness
  • A headache

 

 

 

What are the Treatments Available for Sinus?

Usually, sinus or sinusitis can be uncomfortable, so people use home remedies and over-the-counter medications to relieve its symptoms.

 

 

Conclusion:

Antibiotics are prescribed longer than required to completely remove the sinus related problems.

 

 

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