TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Systemic corticosteroids are not effective for symptom control in patients with acute rhinosinusitis, according to a study published online Aug. 7 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.

Roderick P. Venekamp, M.D., Ph.D., from the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands, and colleagues conducted a multicenter randomized controlled trial, in which adult patients visiting primary care practices for acute rhinosinusitis were randomly assigned to receive either prednisolone 30 mg/d (88 patients) or placebo (86 patients) for seven days. Participants completed a symptom diary for 14 days.

The researchers found that the proportion of patients with resolution of facial pain or pressure on day seven was 62.5 percent (55 of 88) in the prednisolone group and 55.8 percent (48 of 86) in the placebo group (absolute risk difference, 6.7 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, −7.9 to 21.2 percent). Health-related quality of life and the decrease over time in the proportion of patients with total symptoms were similar between the groups. Adverse events were mild and similar between the groups.

"Systemic corticosteroid monotherapy had no clinically relevant beneficial effects among patients with clinically diagnosed acute rhinosinusitis," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies.

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