Guidelines target antibiotic resistance

New guidelines designed to address the alarming rise in bacterial resistance to antibiotics have been issued by The Sinus and Allergy Health Partnership, with representation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. The guidelines were developed to stem antibiotic resistance by helping health professionals to more accurately diagnose acute bacterial rhinosinusitis, reduce the use of antibiotics for non-bacterial infections and recommend the use of the most effective antibiotics when rhinosinusitis is likely.

The new guidelines are part of a national effort aimed at educating health care practitioners and patients about curbing antibiotic resistance by reducing the overuse of antibiotics and improving antibiotic treatment when a bacterial infection is diagnosed. The guidelines analyze and rank 17 antibiotics commonly used to treat sinusitis according to their efficacy in fighting the bacteria that most often cause this condition.

"Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a growing public health threat to the United States," said Richard Besser of the CDC's respiratory disease branch, one of the contributors to the new guidelines. "These guidelines are an important tool for physicians to begin to attack the problem of antibiotic resistance with more accurate diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic treatments. Just as important, we are working to educate the public about the personal and public health dangers that can result from the overuse and misuse of antibiotics for conditions like sinusitis." PR