Housatonic Valley News

• Antibiotics are commonly prescribed for sinusitis.
• Doctors warn that overuse of antibiotics can lead to the development of "antibiotic resistance," which can cause serious health complications.
• Patients looking for a long-term solution have treatment options such as balloon sinuplasty.

Many sinusitis patients are prescribed antibiotics, but Dr. Terrance Kwiatkowski of CT ENT Sinus Center told Housatonic Valley News that there are many risks involved in relying on antibiotics, including becoming immune.

"There's always a risk to (antibiotics) and any medicine that you take for any reason," Kwiatkowski said. "Nothing is risk-free. Antibiotic immunity is certainly something we see. Most of the primary care providers and most of the doctors understand that it exists, but they still prescribe it anyway because they don't always have an answer. We have a patient who may not want to take antibiotics, but they don't have another answer, so they end up prescribing them anyway. Over time, you can get antibiotic immunity. You can have side effects from antibiotics. You can have a lot of things happening from the chronic medicine that sinus patients have to take. The decongestants and Sudafed, they raise your heart rate, they raise your blood pressure, they cause palpitations."

According to WebMD, acute sinusitis is a sinus infection lasting less than four weeks. Approximately 90% of adults who are diagnosed with acute sinusitis are prescribed antibiotics. 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.

The American Heart Association reported that the overuse of antibiotics is linked to changes in the patient's gut microbiota, which can increase the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as premature death.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those who develop resistances to antibiotics can face increased risk if they also develop infections related to other medical procedures such as joint replacements, organ transplants and diabetes treatments.

Chronic sinusitis patients have alternative treatment options available, such as balloon sinuplasty procedures.

Healthline reported that balloon sinuplasty is most often recommended by doctors to people who suffer from chronic sinusitis and have already tried other treatments. The procedure doesn't involve any cutting or removal of bones or tissue, is very straightforward, and has minimal reported complications. Following a balloon sinuplasty, many patients are able to return to their daily activities within one or two days. Some patients are even able to drive themselves home after the procedure.

To learn more about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.