Hoosier State Today

Antibiotic-resistant illnesses are on the rise with approximately 2.8 million people suffering from them every year, resulting in 35,000 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It's no secret that the prevalence of antibiotics can cause drugs to be ineffective if overused. For doctors at the Indianapolis Sinus Center, there are promising treatments, aside from antibiotics, that are available to patients who are suffering from chronic sinusitis.

One alternative is the minimally invasive procedure called "balloon sinuplasty."

"Success rates are excellent, and most people do get good resolution of their symptoms to their satisfaction," Dr. Anthony Sanders of Indianapolis Sinus Center told Hoosier State Today. "The beauty of the balloon sinus procedure is that people tend not to have much disruption of normal nasal function, so they tend to have noses that work normally; they breathe better. They tend not to have issues with dryness or sounding different or the change in the resonance of the voice that sometimes goes along with endoscopic sinus surgery, so generally, they recover quickly. They get back to work fast. Their need for medications and antibiotics tend to fall way off compared to what they were doing before that. Basically, they're able to resume a normal life in most instances."

Another option, other than functional endoscopic sinus surgery, would be the XprESS multi-sinus dilation system, according to the journal Applied Health Economics and Health Policy. A study showed a reduced dependency on antibiotics. The study revealed that a group of people suffering with chronic sinusitis took an average of 4.5 antibiotic courses for the 12 months leading up to the procedure. After their procedure was completed, they only took an average of 1.6 antibiotic courses per year.

"Generally, people tend to respond better who undergo early intervention versus late," Sanders said. "After surgery, they tend to require fewer antibiotics and medical treatment, so overall they tend to do better. I think over time there can be some damage to the body's defense mechanisms, the way they clear sinus infections. For instance, the sinuses are lined with what are called cilia that sweep a mucous blanket that traps infection out of the sinuses to help eliminate it, and those mechanisms on the cellular and mucosal level can be damaged from chronic infection over a long period of time."

Chronic sinusitis is responsible for over 4 million doctor visits and over 230,000 emergency room visits, the CDC reported.

One misconception is that antibiotic resistance means that the body is resisting antibiotics, when actually it means that bacteria have become resistant to the antibiotics that were created to destroy them.

According to Mayo Clinic, between one-third and one-half of antibiotic use in humans is unnecessary or inappropriate.

Chronic sinusitis can make it hard to enjoy everyday life. If you think a specialist could help, take this quiz provided by the Indianapolis Sinus Center.