Open AccessIs it justified to delay initiation of antibiotic treatment in patients who have had acute sinusitis for less than ten days?
Author(s) -
Moyosore Olukoga
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
morecambe bay medical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2634-0631
pISSN - 1466-707X
DOI - 10.48037/mbmj.v8i9.1286
Subject(s) - medicine , nice , sinusitis , antibiotics , intensive care medicine , sinus (botany) , antibiotic therapy , surgery , botany , computer science , genus , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , programming language
Acute rhinosinusitis, often referred to as sinusitis, is a condition where inflammation of the mucosal passage and paranasal sinuses lasts less than 12 weeks.1 The estimated prevalence of acute sinusitis is 6-15%.2 Historically, patients diagnosed with acute sinusitis were prescribed antibiotics, but at present the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)3 do not recommend antibiotic prescriptions for patients who have symptoms for less than ten days. Should the patient’s symptoms persist beyond ten days, then NICE recommends considering antibiotics. This critical review will explore current evidence to determine whether it is justified to delay initiation of antibiotic treatment in patients who have had acute sinusitis for less than ten days.