January Annals review by J Hom:
Do decongestants, antihistamines, and nasal irrigation relieve the symptoms of sinusitis in children?
HIGHLIGHTS:
no proven benefits of decongestants, antihistamines, or nasal irrigation in kids with sinusitis
risks of oversedation, anticholinergic symptoms, and tachyarrhythmias are likely to exceed any potential benefits
culprits include: pseudoephedrine, diphenhydramine, dextromethorphan
bacterial cause accounts for only 0.5-2.2% of all sinusitis
References: annals review; cochrane review; picture
We can some what agree to disagree about that statement. If nasal decongestants work for adults there is not reason why t should not work for children but these may be too strong for children and they may cause rebound sinusitis or effects quicker than what they would in fully grown adults. The nasal lining of children is still quite fragile and damage can occur very easily.