Healthnotes Newswire (April 5, 2007)—Is your doctor quick to pull out the prescription pad when you come in with a sinus infection? If so, you’re not alone. According to a study in the Archives of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, antibiotics are being used too frequently to treat sinus infections, and doctors may not be choosing the most effective drug.
There are two basic types of sinus infections: those that last up to 4 weeks (acute sinusitis) and those that go on for 12 weeks or more (chronic sinusitis). While acute sinusitis is generally caused by an infectious agent—most commonly a virus—chronic sinusitis is usually related to other factors such as frequent upper respiratory infections, smoking, swimming, immune deficiencies, decongestant medication abuse, or anatomical problems like a deviated septum.
