LAX Leader

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 the drugs to be ineffective if overused. For doctors at Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery, 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 performed called "balloon sinuplasty."

"The most important thing is to see an ENT and try to get that problem identified. That's the philosophy that we have in our practice," Dr. Jeffrey Feinfield of Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery told the LAX Leader. "We do not prescribe multiple courses of antibiotics as symptoms persist. We will diagnose it right, then and there, and a balloon sinuplasty 90% of the time will fix the problem, eliminate the inflammation. We get the sinus functioning again. Then there's no more need for antibiotics, and there's no more pain and suffering."

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

"It's a big problem in the United States. I think we overprescribe antibiotics way too much," Feinfield said. "It's an easy thing to do. Patients, when they come to a primary care office or an urgent care, they want to leave with something; they want a quick fix. And unfortunately, we overtreat with antibiotics, and what happens is sometimes we're giving antibiotics unnecessarily, which leads to resistance. When bacteria slowly become resistant to that particular antibiotic, that makes it very dangerous because it really decreases the tools in the physician's toolbox to be able to treat patients."

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

"Another topic that I don't think gets discussed enough is that antibiotic usage is destroying the normal gut flora," Feinfield said. "We're starting to learn more and more about how (the gut) can be like another organ in and of itself. And when we have one particular bacteria overgrowing over the natural ones, it creates more inflammation and risk for chronic colon diseases and cancer."

One study from the journal The Laryngoscope showed a reduced dependency on antibiotics with a minimally invasive sinus procedure. The study revealed that a group of people suffering from chronic sinusitis took an average of 4.5 antibiotic courses for the 12 months leading up to the procedure. After the procedure was completed, they only took an average of 1.6 antibiotic courses during the next year.

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

Chronic sinusitis can make it hard to enjoy everyday life. If you think a specialist could help, take this quiz provided by Bella Vista ENT & Facial Plastic Surgery.