Antibiotics No Good for Sinusitis

Another major study has confirmed that antibiotics are of no benefit in treating acute sinus infections, and inhaled steroids also did no better than placebo. The randomised trial of 240 primary care patients in the UK who had acute non-recurrent sinusitis found that a seven day course of amoxicillin (500mg three times daily) had no effect on duration or severity of symptoms compared to placebo. Nor was there any effect seen in patients treated with nasal budesonide 20mcg daily for ten days, either alone or in combination with the antibiotic. The authors of the independent study published in JAMA today (298: 2487) said subgroup findings suggested there might be some benefit from nasal steroids in patients who had milder.