NW Riverside News

• The overuse of antibiotics prescribed for sinusitis 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.

Most people have heard of the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, but that hasn’t kept doctors from prescribing them.

WebMD reports that when adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with acute sinusitis -- a sinus infection lasting less than four weeks -- about 90% of them are prescribed antibiotics.

Now, some doctors are cautioning against the overuse of antibiotics to treat sinus infections, including Dr. Matt Hershcovitch of SoCal Breathe Free Sinus & Allergy Centers.

“There's already significant amounts of antibiotic immunity and resistance,” Hershcovitch told NW Riverside News. “The bacteria are selected for this resistance, because of overuse of antibiotics. The problem that occurs is when you have one of these highly resistant bacteria that then starts growing very fast, growing very aggressively in the sinuses, you end up with very few tools at your disposal to treat this problem.”

"Chronic sinusitis" is defined on WebMD as 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.

More virulent bacteria can be resistant to many antibiotics. When that happens, “your surrounding structures are at risk as well, and this creates a very dangerous situation,” Hershcovitch said. “When you have poorly controlled sinus disease and sinusitis, the structure surrounding the sinuses are often invaded by this bacteria, more specifically, the eyes and the brain. This can create some terrible complications, including orbital abscesses, vision damage, blindness, as well as meningitis, brain abscesses, and I've even seen people die from this. It is a terrible thing, especially when you think that this could have been prevented."

So what can those who suffer with chronic sinusitis do?  Healthline says one option is balloon sinuplasty, which is typically recommended after other treatments for this condition have been ineffective. Balloon sinuplasty is a simple in-office procedure, and complications are minimal. There's no cutting involved and no removal of bones or tissue during this minimally invasive procedure. 

Besides weakening the effectiveness of the drug, overuse of antibiotics has been linked to changes in the patient's gut bacteria, which can increase the risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). The AHA says that overusing antibiotics could also be a risk factor in premature death. 

People who develop resistance to antibiotics can also face higher risks if they experience other kinds of infections, such as those related to medical procedures, including joint replacements, organ transplants and diabetes treatment, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

Against the backdrop of overuse of antibiotics, Hershcovitch recommends chronic sinusitis patients seriously consider balloon sinuplasty.

If you're interested in learning more about the symptoms of sinusitis and allergies, take this Sinus Self-Assessment Quiz.