The budesonide came in respules -- small, plastic, liquid-containing devices. All participants reported at least some improvement in their sinusitis symptoms, and their adrenal gland function was not affected, the study found. Chronic sinusitis is a persistent inflammation of the nose and sinuses behind the nose that affects up to 14 percent of people in the United States, according to background information in the study. The results were published in the March issue of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery. Louis, said it was the first study to examine the safety of this type of nasal wash, noting that suppression of adrenal gland function is a known complication of budesonide.

"The clinical significance of this study is that budesonide nasal respules appear safe for short-term use for the relief of symptoms associated with chronic sinusitis," the researchers concluded.. The researchers, from Koenraad University School of Medicine in St.

The study included nine people who were told to use a nasal wash, composed of 0.25 milligrams of the corticosteroid budesonide and 5 milliliters of saline, in each nostril once a day for 30 days.