One hundred and thirty patients with chronic sinus it is were treated with 400-600mg of erythromycin (EM) per day for adults and 200-300mg per day for children for an average of 5.4 months.
1) Rhinorrhea was improved in 59.8%, postnasal drips in 56.6%, nasal obstruction in 64.0%, olfactory disturbance in 30.6% and head dullness in 85.3%.
2) Rhinoscopy showed decreased nasal discharge in 70.5%, improved quality of nasal discharge in 68.6%, decreased postnasal drip in 78.3% and reduced mucosal swelling in 15.4%.
3) The clinical effect in children was some what inferior to that in adults.
4) The presence of prior sinus surgery and sinobronchial syndrome did not influence the effectiveness of this therapy.
5) No significant side effects were noted during this therapy.
Long-term low-dose erythromycin therapy is considered to be applicable to various types of chronic sinusitis.