More than 37 million Americans suffer from nasal congestion, sinus pressure, cough and postnasal drip that accompany sinusitis, as per a recently published review. Though medical practitioners usually prescribe antibiotics for reliving acute sinusitis after its development following a chest cold, a combination of steroid nasal spray and antibiotic therapy is the best option when it comes to easing symptoms and speedy recovery according to Israeli researchers.
Sinusitis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes lined between the sinus cavities. The most common treatment options include steroid sprays like Nasonex, Flonase, and Rhinocort when it comes to the treatment of chronic sinusitis and allergies symptoms.
From News-Medical.Net:
Stronger doses of nasal steroids appeared to work better. Patients receiving daily doses of 400 micrograms were more likely to experience relief of sinusitis symptoms, than were patients receiving 200-microgram doses.
Although there is not enough evidence to suggest that nasal steroids can stand alone for acute sinusitis treatment, “the results of these studies and reviews support the current clinical rationale of adding an intranasal corticosteroid to antibiotic therapy,” reviewers say.
Allen Seiden, M.D., director of the University of Cincinnati Taste and Smell Center, said that more data are required before routine recommendations on intranasal corticosteroids can be made.
“It seems to have been a well-conducted review, with thorough statistical analysis. However, in the end, it analyzed relatively few studies,” Seiden said.
He added that the review lacked information about how individual diagnoses were made, and said that even with X-rays and nasal endoscopy, distinguishing between viral and bacterial infections can be difficult, a problem that may influence the choice of treatment.
It was remarked during the study that 73 percent of patients who are treated with nasal steroids gain relief for considerable improvements of symptoms as compared to only 66.4 of patients on placebo during the study period.
