Sinus infections, or sinusitis, is an inflammation or swelling of the tissues lining the sinuses. When sinuses are blocked and filled with fluid, microorganisms can grow and cause an infection. More than 35 million Americans have sinusitis at least once each year. And it is more likely if you have a common cold or nasal polyps.
Many people use antibiotics to subside sinus infection. So, is Cipro (ciprofloxacin) good for a sinus infection?
According to a study, a twice-daily dose of Cipro has been found effective in treating chronic sinusitis. The study was published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which advances science and health by providing access to biomedical and genomic information.
The study included 251 adults with chronic sinusitis, who were enrolled in the multicenter, double-blind, double-placebo comparison of Cipro with Augmentin (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid).
Before therapy, the participants were diagnosed with chronic sinusitis by confirming on a computerized tomography scan or sinusoscopy. They had purulent or mucopurulent rhinorrhea (nasal discharge).
They were given the antibiotics for nine days. At the end of the treatment, nasal discharge disappeared in 60.2 percent patients who took ciprofloxacin and 56 percent of those who took Augmentin.
The clinical efficacy and bacteriological eradication rate were high among patients who received ciprofloxacin. However, the differences in the rates were not significant.
The study researches said patients who received Cipro had a significantly higher clinical cure rate than those who received amoxicillin/clavulanic acid. Also, clinical tolerance was significantly high with ciprofloxacin. The researchers said Cipro proved to be at least as effective as Augmentin. They concluded that the superior safety profile and clinical efficacy suggested that Cipro might be a useful therapeutic alternative for people with chronic sinusitis.
