Source: Respir Med  |  Posted 9 years ago

Long-term low-dose erythromycin therapy is a promising treatment for persistent chronic sinusitis after sinus surgery.

Initial use should probably be when conventional therapy fails, however, placebo-controlled studied are needed to validate the therapy's potential.

These were the conclusions and recommendations of researchers who had undertaken a prospective open study of 17 patients with chronic sinusitis persistent following sinus surgery. All were treated with erythromycin succinate 250 mg twice daily or clarithromycin 250 mg daily. They were assessed after three months and followed up at 12 months if they responded to treatment.

In total, 12/17 patients responded to treatment. At 12-month follow-up examination, the saccharine transit time - a measure of mucociliary transport - improved. However, there was no significant change in ciliary beat frequency. Endoscopic nasal examination scoring improved significantly.

On a visual analog scale, the most pronounced improvements were seen in nasal congestion, sticky secretion, and runny nose at three and 13 months. Improvements were also seen in headache. There was a trend towards an increase in nasal nitric oxide, but this was not statistically significant.

The researchers said, "The present study suggests that long-term, low-dose treatment with erythromycin is effective in persistent chronic sinusitis that does not respond to sinus surgery or systemic steroid/antibiotic treatment."