Predictors of duration of acute sinusitis episodes treated with antibiotics.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate which factors present at the onset of acute sinusitis predict the duration of illness among adult patients treated with antibiotics.

DESIGN

Cohort study with a 30-day follow-up.

SETTING

Norwegian general practice.

SUBJECTS: Eighty-six adult patients with a clinical diagnosis of acute sinusitis confirmed by Computed Tomography.

METHODS

Signs, symptoms and other variables present at the onset of treatment were dichotomized and analysed bivariately with duration of the sinusitis episode, using the log-rank test. Age, gender, and factors with p-values under 0.15 were modelled in a Cox regression analysis to assess independent predictors for illness duration.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Duration of illness.

RESULTS

Illness duration was significantly and positively associated with increasing age and with a higher clinical severity score at the onset of treatment. No other factors were independent predictors of illness duration.

CONCLUSION

The age of the patient and the clinical severity of the sinusitis at the onset of treatment were independent predictors of illness duration in adult patients treated with antibiotics.