Ipratropium (Atrovent) in the treatment of vasomotor rhinitis of elderly patients.

Ipratropium is a parasympatholytic agent with high topical activity. The effect of intranasal ipratropium was studied in 34 patients who were over 60 years of age and who suffered from chronic watery vasomotor rhinorrhoea. The study was a double-blind cross-over placebo controlled trial. Trial parameters were: daily nasal symptom and side effect scores, nasal methacholine testing before and after treatment, and clinical evaluation. The active drug clearly reduced nasal discharge. Nasal methacholine testing showed reduction of nasal secretion after the active treatment period. The majority of the patients preferred the active drug to the placebo. Excessive drying of the nasal mucosa was the most common side effect. Ipratropium seems to have a beneficial effect on vasomotor rhinitis, which often is an irritating condition in elderly patients.