A guide to the management of acute rhinosinusitis in primary care: Management strategy based on best evidence and recent European guidelines

摘要

The terms rhinitis and sinusitis have been superseded by rhinosinusitis, which represents the understanding that the two conditions usually coexist. Rhinosinusitis can be subdivided into acute and chronic. Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) presents an enormous burden in primary care. It is estimated that around 1-2% of visits to a GP in Europe are for symptoms of ARS. ARS is seen across a wide spectrum of ages, but is less common in the paediatric group due to the relative immature development of the sinuses in children (maxillary and ethmoidal sinuses develop during gestation, whereas the frontal and sphenoid sinuses begin to develop at the age of 3 years but are not fully developed until late adolescence). A consequence of patients presenting to primary care is the associated high pharmacy costs. Ashworth et al found that a prescription for antibiotics was given in 92% of patients with symptoms of ARS.