Experimental rapid test could tell sinusitis sufferers if they need antibiotics - or just patience
Thursday, October 9, 2014 - 11:31
in Health & Medicine
Each year, 36 million people with chronic congestion and runny noses seek treatment from their primary care physicians. Without a way for doctors to easily distinguish viral from bacterial infections, more than half of patients will end up getting antibiotics for an infection that they don’t actually have. The invention of a rapid, in-office test, based on bacterial biomarkers, could help physicians identify the infections that need antibiotics while helping reduce the growing problem of antibiotic resistance.