Via practica 5/2012

Acute rhinosinusitis

Rhinosinusitis is one of the more frequent diagnoses in clinical practice. Currently estimated prevalence of acute rhinosinusitis is 18%. Frequently, acute rinosinusitis is caused by viral infection, which may be complicated by secondary bacterial infection. Duration of symptoms is the most common way physicians differentiate between acute viral or bacterial rhinosinusitis. The goals of acute rhinosinusitis treatment are eliminate infection, reduce inflammation, improve nasal and ostiomeatal complex patency, promote drainage, and generally improve and relief of symptoms. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of the acute rhinosinusitis provide algorithms to improve outcomes and decrease costs.

Keywords: acute rhinosinusitis, viral, bacterial, symptoms, treatment.