Antibiotics Overprescribed for Sinus Infections
Adults with sinusitis often receive courses of antibiotic therapies at higher durations than are recommended in current guidelines, according to new study findings.
In 2016, the majority of antibiotic therapies for adults with sinusitis were prescribed for 10 days or longer. However, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) currently recommends an antibiotic therapy duration of 5 to 7 days for uncomplicated cases.
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The authors of the study arrived at this conclusion after identifying and evaluating an estimated 3,696,976 visits to physicians during which antibiotics were prescribed for sinusitis diagnoses.
They categorized antibiotic prescriptions by type (penicillins, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, azithromycin, or other).
Results indicated that approximately 69.6% of therapies were prescribed for 10 days or longer.
The researchers also found that more than 20% of prescriptions were for azithromycin, despite the ISDA’s recommendation against the use of this antibiotic for the treatment of sinusitis due to its association with drug resistance.
When azithromycin prescriptions were excluded, approximately 91.5% of antibiotic therapies were prescribed for 10 days or longer.
“The durations of most courses of antibiotic therapy for adult outpatients with sinusitis exceed guideline recommendations, which represents an opportunity to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics when therapy with antibiotics is indicated,” the researchers concluded.
—Christina Vogt
Reference:
King LM, Sanchez GV, Bartoces M, et al. Antibiotic therapy duration in US adults with sinusitis [Published online March 26, 2018]. JAMA Intern Med. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.0407