Abstract
Bacteria can be recovered from paranasal sinuses in the majority of patients given the diagnosis of acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS), and bacteriologic cure can be achieved with appropriate antibiotic treatment. The critical question is whether bacteriologic cure correlates with meaningful clinical endpoints such as clinical improvement, reduction in recurrent disease, or prevention of complications. Of the 4 pediatric placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials (PCRCTs), 2 suggest superiority of antibiotic treatment and 2 suggest lack of superiority. PCRCTs in adults are mixed as to clinical benefit. Pediatric and adult meta-analyses demonstrate modest benefit of antibiotic therapy and rates of spontaneous recovery without antibiotics of 60-65%. Although retrospective studies indicate that some patients who develop orbital or neurologic complications of sinusitis were pre-treated with antibiotic therapy, a low rate of complications precludes determination of whether antibiotic treatment prevents complications in some proportion of patients. Like the literature evidence, expert guideline recommendations are mixed. Although the evidence base is incomplete and conflicting, the limited data suggest that antibiotics probably do have a role in the treatment of pediatric ABS. The most compelling rationale is prevention of serious complications, but proof for this rationale is lacking.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.