Nonallergic Rhinitis in the Elderly: A Reliable and Safe Therapeutic Approach.

OBJECTIVE

Nonallergic rhinitis (NAR) causes significant functional and emotional impairment, affecting the quality of life (QoL) of elderly patients often suffering from other chronic diseases that require additional therapies to be added to the numerous daily medications. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of crenotherapy with sodium chloride sulfate hyperthermal water rich in mineral salts on the QoL of elderly patients with NAR.

METHODS

Sixty elderly subjects with NAR were divided into 2 groups. Group I (n = 30) underwent crenotherapy with sodium chloride sulfate hyperthermal water rich in mineral salts, and group II (n = 30) underwent treatment with NaCl 0.9%. At baseline and after treatment, both groups underwent nasal endoscopy, and we determined their Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores for rhinorrhea, respiratory obstruction and sneezing.

RESULTS

After treatment, the patients in both groups reported having no adverse reactions. Endoscopic and VAS score results were better in group I than in group II. All subjects showed a good degree of tolerability.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that crenotherapy improves the QoL in elderly patients with NAR. Crenotherapy can prevent elderly patients with NAR from having to take additional medications, which can often cause relevant adverse reactions and considerable health care costs.