Bacterial Infection and Antibiotic Treatment in Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Rhinosinusitis generally occurs following an acute viral upper respiratory tract infection. It is estimated that almost nine out of ten patients with a cold develop viral rhinosinusitis. Acute bacterial infection of the sinuses occurs in 0.5-2% of these individuals, which brings about the development of acute bacterial rhinosinusitis in about 20 million Americans yearly (1,2).