Treatment of Acute Bacterial Rhinosinusitis in Children and Adults

Target Population: Primary care practitioners, especially those in community and emergency department settings

Type: Evidence-based consensus guidelines using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system

Key Points: Acute rhinosinusitis (also called sinusitis) is an extremely common condition, each year affecting >10% of adults in the U.S. Despite a viral cause in 90% to 98% of cases, the syndrome is usually treated with antibiotics. To minimize inappropriate antibiotic prescription, these guidelines recommend using symptom persistence (≥10 days), high severity, or worsening/recurrence as indicators of bacterial etiology before empirical the…