Lipid-based Nose Ointment for Allergic Rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy of a lipid-based nose ointment in treating allergic rhinitis.

STUDY DESIGN AND

SETTING

Prospective, open, randomized, controlled clinical study in the outpatient departments of 2 tertiary care centers.

RESULTS

No specific adverse effects were observed. The nose ointment under investigation led to a significant improvement in sneezing and nasal itching (17 patients). There was no significant change for nasal congestion and rhinorrhea in the intention-to-treat sets. However, there was still a significant drop of the mean relative total symptom score derived from the individual scores. All scores remained unchanged in the untreated control group (16 patients).

CONCLUSION

Topical application of the nose ointment as a supportive treatment leads to a significant improvement of symptoms in allergic rhinitis.

SIGNIFICANCE: The prevalence of allergic rhinitis is about 10% to 20% in the population. Our study results are encouraging and should be assessed in further research because changes in the therapeutic guidelines may be suggested.

EBM RATING: A.