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Decongestants, antihistamines and nasal irrigation for acute sinusitis in children

Nader Shaikh1, Ellen R Wald

  • 1General Academic Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 3414 Fifth Ave, Suite 301, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213.

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|October 28, 2014
PubMed

Insights

No studies confirmed if decongestants, antihistamines, or nasal irrigation effectively treat acute sinusitis in children. More research is needed to establish the efficacy of these common treatments for pediatric acute sinusitis.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Otolaryngology
  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Clinical Trials

Background:

  • Acute sinusitis in children lacks systematic evaluation of common treatments.
  • Efficacy of decongestants, antihistamines, and nasal irrigation is not well-established.
  • Defining acute sinusitis in children involves symptoms like rhinorrhea, congestion, or cough lasting 10-30 days.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically evaluate the efficacy of decongestants, antihistamines, and nasal irrigation for acute sinusitis in children.
  • To identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-RCTs assessing these interventions.

Main Methods:

  • Searched multiple databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and EMBASE up to June 2014.
  • Included RCTs and quasi-RCTs involving children under 18 with acute sinusitis.
  • Two independent reviewers assessed study eligibility.

Main Results:

  • Despite extensive searches identifying 662 studies, none met all inclusion criteria.
  • No eligible randomized controlled trials were found for the evaluated interventions.

Conclusions:

  • There is currently no evidence to support the efficacy of antihistamines, decongestants, or nasal irrigation for acute sinusitis in children.
  • Further research, including well-designed clinical trials, is necessary.
  • The benefits of these common treatments for pediatric acute sinusitis remain undetermined.
Abstract

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