Advising Sinusitis Patients to Use Nasal Irrigation May Help Improve Symptoms

By Kelly Young

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and André Sofair, MD, MPH

Patients with chronic or recurrent sinusitis who were advised to use nasal irrigation had a modest reduction in symptoms, according to a CMAJ study.

Researchers randomized roughly 900 patients with chronic or recurrent sinusitis to receive brief advice on using one of four approaches:

• Self-administered daily nasal irrigation with a neti pot

• Self-administered daily steam inhalation

• Nasal irrigation plus steam inhalation

• Usual care

At 3 months' follow-up, nasal irrigation groups had greater reductions in self-reported sinusitis symptoms than did other groups. The benefit was retained at 6 months. The authors estimate that about 13 patients would need to be treated with nasal irrigation for one person to benefit. Nasal irrigation was also associated with improvements in headaches, over-the-counter medication use, and the desire to consult a physician the next time.

For most outcomes, steam inhalation had no effect.