A study published in the March 2007 issue of the scientific periodical the Archives of Otolaryngology suggested that antibiotics are being greatly over prescribed 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% of patients were treated with antibiotics. Additionally, 70% of the chronic suffers were treated with antibiotics. According to a March 19, 2007 article discussing the study, WebMD notes that only “about 3% to 5% 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.”…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, suggesting 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 for the same article, ear, nose, and throat specialist Michael Benninger, MD, told WebMD…“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.”

—Terlep Chiropractic, 3/07