Amoxycillin and folate inhibitors are as effective as newer antibiotics in acute sinusitis

Amoxycillin and folate inhibitors are as effective as newer antibiotics in acute sinusitis

A major question in managing acute sinusitis is whether antibiotics should be used, and if so which ones. In a comprehensivemeta-analysis de Ferranti et al (p 632) evaluated the evidencefrom randomised controlled trials comparing, firstly, antibioticsagainst placebo, and, secondly, amoxycillin and folate inhibitorsagainst newer, more expensive antibiotics. Antibiotics were significantlymore efficacious than placebo in achieving cure of clinical symptoms,but more than two thirds of placebo patients showed spontaneousresolution or improvement of symptoms. There was no evidence thatnewer antibiotics, with a broader antimicrobial spectrum, achievedbetter clinical outcomes than amoxycillin or folateinhibitors.

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Are amoxycillin and folate inhibitors as effective as other antibiotics for acute sinusitis? A meta-analysis: Sarah D de Ferranti, John P A Ioannidis, Joseph Lau, William V Anninger, and Michael Barza
BMJ 1998 317: 632-637. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]