Sinusitis is a common viral or bacterial infection that causes swelling in the sinuses. Although some patients need prescription medication, often sinusitis can be triggered by allergies or the common cold. In general, sinusitis is overtreated with antibiotics. In the United States, there are five million antibiotic prescriptions for children and adolescents with acute sinusitis, and around 65% of patients are prescribed either amoxicillin or amoxicillin/clavulanate as first-line treatments. To date, there have been little to no studies to compare the effectiveness and safety of these prescriptions. In today’s episode, we discuss a study done by Timothy Savage, MD, and Matthew Kronman, MD, to determine the effectiveness of antibiotics and how to determine who needs antibiotic treatment and who does not. 

Guest: 

Matthew Kronman, MD, MSCE, is the fellowship program director for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and the medical director of outpatient antimicrobial stewardship at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and an associate professor at University of Washington School of Medicine. 

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