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. (C) 2005 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved.