One in five Americans have allergic rhinitis, a number that is steadily rising, but the exact reasons for this increase are unknown. A new lipid-based nasal ointment is found effective at reducing symptoms of allergic rhinitis in German patients.
Allergic rhinitis is characterized by an inflammatory response that occurs mainly in the mucous membranes of susceptible individuals after contact with trigger allergens. The results are symptoms such as sneezing, itching of the nose, throat, eyes and ears, excess secretion of tears, nasal congestion and discharge, and swelling of the eyes.
Allergic rhinitis can be seasonal – responding to grain or grass pollen – or perennial, caused by exposure and contact to nonseasonal allergens found, for example, in animals and house dust. Perennial allergic rhinitis produces symptoms similar to those of seasonal allergic rhinitis, but nasal congestion is the chief complaint and conjunctivitis, or swelling of the eyes, is less common.
Antihistamines and corticosteroids are frequently used to relieve the symptoms of allergic rhinitis. These medications are associated with a low rate of side effects. Some believe that chemically and physiologically inert nasal ointments, such as the one investigated in the present study, are interesting options for adjuvant treatment of allergic rhinitis for symptom relief.
German researchers set out to assess the efficacy of a high-viscosity, lipid-based nasal ointment in the treatment of allergic rhinitis based on the observed change in the overall symptom picture. The authors of “Lipid-based Nasal Ointment for Allergic Rhinitis,” are Urban Wilhelm Geisthoff MD, Marianne Rupp-Classen MD, and Peter-Karl Plinkert MD, from the ENT Department of the University of the Saarland, Homburg/Saar; and Andreas Blum MD, at the ENT Department of the University Hospital Mannheim, Mannheim, all in Germany. Their findings are being presented at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, being held September 19-22, 2004, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City, NY.
Methodology:
This prospective, randomized, open, parallel-group comparison of 33 treated and untreated allergic rhinitis patients occurred at two centers in Germany. The study was conducted in two phases: first, a seven day preliminary assessment phase which included screening to determine patient inclusion; the second and main phase of the study consisted of 14 days of treatment at one of the two study centers (Mannheim or Homburg) after random assignment of a patient to the treatment or control group. The study was conducted from March 2002 to July 2002. Only those patients with sufficiently severe symptoms of sneezing, nasal itching, rhinorrhea, and nasal congestion were included.
The treatment group (of 17 patients) was given an adequate supply of the investigational product containing a significant percentage of long-chain hydrocarbons. Those in the control groups (16 patients) did not receive any investigational product. Using a finger or a cotton swab, each patient in the treatment groups applied a roughly 1 cm long strip of the investigational product to each nostril and evenly spread the ointment in the anterior portion of the nose. The ointment was applied every three to five hours except while the patient was sleeping, and could be applied more frequently if necessary.
Each patient was requested to keep separate diaries for the preliminary assessment phase and the actual treatment period using the same rules for logging entries during both investigational periods.