Clinical Effectiveness of Eucalyptus Oil in the Management of Geriatric Rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of eucalyptus oil in the symptomatic management of geriatric rhinitis in elderly patients.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 56 patients aged ≥60 years with geriatric rhinitis was conducted. Patients received topical intranasal eucalyptus oil therapy for 2 weeks. Clinical outcomes included nasal dryness, crusting, frequency of epistaxis, nasal obstruction, postnasal drip, and olfactory function. Symptom severity was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS), and pre- and post-treatment scores were compared.

RESULTS

Significant improvements were observed in nasal dryness (mean VAS pretreatment: 7.8, mean VAS post-treatment: 3.2, P<0.001), crusting (mean VAS pretreatment: 6.9, mean VAS post-treatment: 2.8, P<0.001), and nasal obstruction (mean VAS pretreatment: 6.5, mean VAS post-treatment: 3.5, P<0.001). Epistaxis frequency decreased by 61%. Olfactory function improved modestly (P=0.040). No severe adverse effects were reported.

CONCLUSION

Eucalyptus oil appears to be a safe and effective adjunctive therapy for geriatric rhinitis, particularly for dryness and crusting.