Triamcinolone acetonide and fluticasone propionate nasal sprays provide comparable relief of seasonal allergic rhinitis symptoms regardless of disease severity.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of aqueous triamcinolone acetonide (TAA AQ) and fluticasone propionate (FP) nasal sprays on seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) symptoms and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients stratified into cohorts based on symptom severity. In a multicenter, investigator-blinded, parallel-group study, 295 patients with a > or =2-year history of SAR received once-daily TAA AQ, 220 microg, or FP, 200 microg, for 3 weeks. Median baseline total nasal symptom score (TNSS; sum of nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and nasal itching scores) for all patients was 8.14 (range, 0-12). Patients were stratified by baseline TNSS into a moderate (<814) or severe (> or =8.14) cohort. Changes from baseline TNSS, individual symptom scores, and HRQL were assessed. Sixty-nine TAA AQ and 76 FP patients were included in the moderate stratum (baseline mean TNSS = 6.14 and 6.22, respectively), and 79 (TAA AQ) and 71 (FP) patients were included in the severe stratum (TNSS = 10.03 and 9.47, respectively). At the study end, patients showed significant (p < 0.0001 all comparisons) and comparable improvements in TNSS in both the moderate (TAA AQ, -2.40 [95% confidence interval [CI, -2.92, -1.87], 39% improvement; FP, -2.22 [95% CI, -2.72, -1.73], 36% improvement) and the severe (TAA AQ, -3.85 [95% CI, -4.36, -3.33], 38% improvement; FP, -3.84 [95% CI, -4.43, -3.24], 41% improvement) strata. TAA AQ and FP significantly and comparably improved HRQL in both strata versus baseline. Once-daily TAA AQ and FP nasal sprays in patients with moderate or severe SAR provided significant and comparable symptom relief and improvements in HRQL.