The steroid prednisolone is no better at reducing the symptoms of a sinus infection than a placebo, according to a new study.

It's possible that the steroid is simply less powerful than the body's own abilities to fight infection, said Dr. Richard Rosenfeld, a professor at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and the chair of otolaryngology, who was not involved in this study.

"If you just let nature take its course, the vast majority will clear up on their own," Rosenfeld told Reuters Health.

Researchers had suspected that an oral steroid might eliminate infections sooner than letting them run their course, because steroid nasal sprays have shown a small benefit in getting people to feel better a few days earlier (see Reuters Health report of May 16, 2012: reut.rs/JgN3No).

"With a nose spray, the nasal discharge might prevent getting the steroids in the nasal sinuses, so we thought that administering these (systemic) corticosteroids might have some beneficial effects," said Dr.