Antibiotics may be of little use in treating sinus infections

Dec 6 2007

A new British study disputes the effectiveness of antibiotic drugs prescribed to treat sinus infections.

The researchers from Southampton University say though doctors often prescribe the antibiotic Amoxicillin and the topical steroid Budesonide, either alone or in combination, to treat the illness, they may not offer much benefit.

One of the most common complications of the common cold or flu is a sinus infection or sinusitis and sufferers often experience headaches, pressure in the eyes, cheeks and nose and may also get nasal congestion with thick nasal secretions, cough, and fever.

The British researchers conducted a study involving 240 patients, aged 16 and older, whose symptoms suggested that they had sinus infection caused by bacteria; while viruses also cause sinus infections, antibiotics are ineffective with viral infections.

For the study some patients were treated with 500 mg of Amoxicillin three times a day for 7 days and a 200-microgram dose of Budesonide in each nostril once daily for 10 days.

Others received inactive placebo pills and placebo sprays.

The researchers found that after ten days, the patients who received no treatment were just as likely to be cured as those treated with antibiotics.

Lead researcher Ian G. Williamson and his colleagues say that steroid nasal sprays made little difference, although they seemed to help people with mild nasal congestion but seemed to make things a little worse for those with very intense nasal congestion.

Williamson says although the study does not definitively rule out the effect of antibiotics, but it may be very small.

The research is published in the current issue of the Journal of American Medical Association.