The effect of ipratropium bromide on nasal hypersecretion induced by methacholine in patients with vasomotor rhinitis. A double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled and randomized dose-response study.

The effect of various doses of ipratropium bromide aerosol on nasal hypersecretion induced by five concentrations methacholine was studied in 24 patients with vasomotor rhinitis and excessive watery nasal secretion. The volume of nasal secretion was greater with each of the five increasing doses of methacholine from 7.5 to 120 mg/ml. The median volume of nasal secretion was alike in all patients after administration of methacholine only and after treatment by placebo followed by methacholine. When the patients were treated with ipratropium bromide prior to administering methacholine the volume of secretion was reduced significantly. With doses of 40 micrograms and 100 micrograms of ipratropium to each nostril a similar reduction in the volume of secretion occurred but a still greater reduction by the application of 200 micrograms of ipratropium when compared with treatment by the placebo. While the volume of secretion increased with each increasing concentration of methacholine, a similar pattern of reduced secretion for each concentration of methacholine was seen with each greater concentration of ipratropium. In patients with vasomotor rhinitis, treatment with ipratropium bromide was found to reduce significantly the hypersecretion induced by methacholine when compared with treatment by the placebo. This reduction was greater with greater doses of ipratropium.