How long should a patient take antibiotics for acute sinusitis?
The usual recommendation is 10-14 days of antibiotic therapy. However, this is probably an empiricism. Patients who respond promptly rarely finish the full course. Several recent studies aimed at reducing antibiotic usage have shown that courses of 3,4,5, and 8 days yield similar cure rates as a 10-day course, at least in early disease in adults with mild symptoms. This should be expected, since uncomplicated sinusitis has a high probability of spontaneous resolution and nonbacterial (viral) cause.
