Advantages of Topical Therapy for Sinusitis & Rhinitis Treatment

Old School

A diagnosis of sinus infection is often established by health practitioners by considering the patient’s roster of symptoms, medical history and sometimes, even some tests such as complete blood count (CBC) and imaging tests like sinus x-ray and CT scan.

After diagnosing sinusitis and spotting the most likely cause, your healthcare professional can suggest various treatments. Traditionally, sinus infections are treated with a combination of medications that act against the infection, pain, inflammation and congestion. If the sinus infection started from an allergic rhinitis, anti-histamine can also be advised. These medications are usually taken orally; although intranasal decongestant and steroidal sprays are also available. Usually the treatment regimen includes anti-microbials (antibiotics and/or anti-fungal drugs); analgesics or anti-pyretics like acetaminophen or ibuprofen; anti-inflammatory and decongestants (like budesonide and mometasone; and phenylephrine/pseudoephedrine compounds). Some common anti-histamines prescribed are diphenhydramine and loratadine.

Oral and intranasal medications are generally effective and safe if taken according to doctor’s instructions. However, the use of these medications have also been linked to various side effects ranging from mild to (rarely) life threatening ones. The risk is higher in some individuals compared to the general population if they have other health conditions (like diabetes, hypertension or kidney and liver dysfunctions) or if they are of extreme age (too young or too old).

And Then Came Sinus Medication Topical Therapy

Topical therapy involves administering medications locally (directly on the area where treatment is intended). More common forms of topical treatment include the application of creams or ointment on skin. Now topical treatment is made available for sinusitis and rhinitis patients. Two forms of sinus medication topical therapy are medicated irrigation and sinus nebulization.

In medicated irrigation, the proven benefits of nasal and sinus irrigation with saline solution is harnessed using specially designed irrigators intended to make the process easier and less uncomfortable for patients, particularly those who are new to the idea of sinus irrigation. Various models of irrigators thrive in the market right now, ranging from pocket-sized ones to the complex systems that allow the user to control the volume and pressure of the irrigating solution. Aside from effectively washing away physical and chemical irritants and microorganisms, the salt content of the irrigating solution decreases the inflammation. Sinus nebulization, on the other hand, works by administering aerosolized forms of the above mentioned sinusitis medications directly into the nasal and sinus passages. 

Sinus irrigation and sinus nebulization works much faster than oral administration of medications because the medication is applied directly to the nasal and sinus membranes. They only act locally and the medications are not circulated through the entire body, therefore, there are no expected systemic side effects.

At present, the promise of topical treatment for sinusitis and rhinitis is hindered by the fact that some medications like antimicrobials are not available in preparations compatible for use with irrigators or nebulizers. Good thing, one of the leaders of pharmacology industry, Sinus Dynamics, customizes a complete line of sinusitis medications ready for use with nebulizers and irrigators. In addition, Sinus Dynamics also developed irrigators and nebulizers which are among the most efficient and practical ones in the market right now.  These include ActiveSinus (irrigator) and SinusAero (nebulizer). Talk to your doctor if you want to consider sinus medication topical therapy.