Probiotics, zinc, inulin, and vitamin D as an ancillary treatment for patients with acute rhinosinusitis

Acute rhinosinusitis (ARS) affects the nose and paranasal sinuses together. Acute rhinosinusitis is usually suspected on the clinical ground, but the diagnosis is confirmed by endoscopy. Antibiotic therapy is used for ARS patients in almost all patients. However, antibiotics induce dysbiosis, such as a disturbed balance of physiological microbiota. Dysbiosis impairs the immune system and slows down the resolution of inflammatory events consequent to the infection. The current clinical experience was conducted in patients with ARS visited in an otolaryngologic setting. All patients were treated with antibiotics and Abincol (R) for two weeks, then a subgroup (ratio 1:1) took a one-month course of Abincol Immuno (R) (Group A), the other patients served as control (Group B). Patients were evaluated at baseline (T0), at the end of antibiotic treatment (T1), at the end of the Abincol Immuno (R) course (T2), and at the end of 4-month follow-up (T3). Globally, 601 outpatients (mean age 46 years) were enrolled: 305 (50.7%) in Group A and 296 (49.3%) in Group B. The baseline data were superimposable in the two groups, so the groups were well-matched. At T2, Group A patients had a lower frequency of cough (p=0.05), fatigue (p=0.04), and nausea (p=0.02). However, there was no difference in the symptom severity between groups, even if Group A patients experienced fewer symptoms than controls. In conclusion, the present clinical experience demonstrated that immune manipulation with this multi-component product might be considered an effective and safe therapeutic option in managing patients with acute rhinosinusitis and treated with antibiotics.