North Panhandle News

– Many sinusitis patients are prescribed antibiotics, but overusing antibiotics can lead to health risks or the development of antibiotic resistance.

– Antibiotic resistance can increase risks for patients who develop infections after other medical procedures.

– Patients with chronic sinusitis have alternative treatment options, such as balloon sinuplasty procedures.

Dr. Matthew Blair of Gulf Coast Breathe Free said people who suffer from chronic sinusitis and try to treat it with antibiotics could find that over time, the antibiotics become less effective, so he recommends a more permanent solution to avoid antibiotic resistance and improve the patient's quality of life. 

Of adults in the U.S. who are diagnosed with acute sinusitis, which is a sinus infection lasting less than four weeks, approximately 90% are prescribed antibiotics, according to WebMD. 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.

"If you chose to go the route where you would treat your sinuses with antibiotics for every sinus infection that you have, over a long period of time you can develop antibiotic resistance, as we call it," Dr. Blair said. "So the antibiotics may work the first couple times. But it may not work the third or fourth or the fifth or the sixth time, because the bacteria in your sinuses has been really taught how to avoid those antibiotics through biologic processes. And this is always a worry, as well as prolonged [use of ] antibiotics can have side effects. I mean, it's a drug. It's a drug taken by mouth or IV, and they can affect your kidneys, it can affect your digestive tract. You can have allergic reactions to antibiotics too."

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 said that overusing antibiotics also could 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 Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).

An alternative treatment for chronic sinusitis sufferers is balloon sinuplasty, which is typically recommended after other treatments for their condition have been ineffective. Balloon sinuplasty is fairly straightforward, and reported complications are minimal. There’s no cutting and no removal of bones or tissue, according to Healthline.

A quiz for readers to check their sinus symptoms can be found here.