National trends in visit rates and antibiotic prescribing for adults with acute sinusitis.

A cute sinusitis is diagnosed in over 3 million visits annually among adults and children in the United States. Of these, more than 80% result in an antibiotic prescription; however, many of these prescriptions may be unnecessary, since sinusitis is most often of viral origin and benefits of antibiotics may be limited. Prior to 2012, amoxicillin was the recommended empirical treatment for acute bacterial sinusitis; current guidelines now recommend amoxicillinclavulanate. In light of recent studies and new treatment guidelines, we sought to examine visit rates and antibiotic prescribing patterns for adults with acute sinusitis in the United States.