Recent studies indicate that increased usage of antibiotics for COVID-19 treatment may result in the development of antibiotic immunity, according to a report by BioWorld.
Dr. Daniel Mongiardo of the Dr. Daniel Mongiardo Sleep & Sinus Center in Kentucky agrees that antibiotics have been overused recently, potentially resulting in the creation of "superbugs."
"At some point, there's going to be a bacteria that comes along that's going to be resistant to all antibiotics and then we're all going to be in very big trouble because we have no way to combat that type of infection," Mongiardo told Patient Daily. "As we've seen this past year with COVID, which was untreatable for quite some time, that can be a problem not only for the individual patient but for us as a society. So the judicious use of antibiotics is very, very important."
Additionally, Mongiardo stated that antibiotics for chronic sinusitis should be used only by individuals who exhibit symptoms for several days, such as a low-grade fever and pain.
"Most patients who have an acute episode of sinusitis, and I define that as going on more than a couple of days, if you have yellow drainage for a day or two and you're not really symptomatic," Mongiardo said. "That really shouldn't be treated with antibiotics."
A study that examined the long-term results of standalone balloon dilation, one of the treatments performed by Mongiardo's clinic, discovered that the number of antibiotic courses per year averaged approximately 4.5 before treatment and decreased to 1.6 after treatment, according to the medical journal The Laryngoscope.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that between one-third and one-half of all antibiotic usage in humans is "unnecessary or inappropriate," according to Mayo Clinic.
