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Rhinosinusitis Epidemiology

•The difficulty of diagnosing rhinosinusitis makes it hard to establish its prevalence.
•In the case of chronic rhinosinusitis, its prevalence is estimated at around 10.9% of the general population.
•Acute rhinosinusitis is estimated as a complication in between 1% to 2% of all colds.
•Adults suffer from 2 to 3 viral respiratory infections or instances of acute rhinosinusitis per year while children suffer from 3 to 8.
•Only between 0.5% and 2% of all cases of acute rhinosinusitis lead to a bacterial infection which is treatable with antibiotics. The rest neither require nor improve with antibiotics.

•Both acute and chronic rhinosinusitis have a great impact on the patient’s quality of life, and they consume a considerable amount of healthcare resources. Studies demonstrate an impact similar to that of asthma or peptic ulcers.
•It is estimated that between 65% and 70% of patients with rhinosinusitis self-medicate.