Evaluation of the intranasal steroid treatment outcomes in adenoid tissue hypertrophy with or without allergic rhinitis

Purpose: To compare the intranasal steroid (INS) treatment outcomes in patients with adenoid tissue hypertrophy (ATH) with or without allergic rhinitis (AR). Materials and methods: Medical records of 96 children diagnosed with ATH were retrospectively examined. The pediatric version of the Score for Allergic Rhinitis (SFAR) questionnaire was used to determine the AR status of the patients and classify them. The children were divided into two groups based on the questionnaire: Group 1, low probability of AR (SFAR<9); and Group 2, high probability of AR (SFAR >= 9). Intranasal mometasone furoate (100 mu g/mL) was used to treat ATH for at least 3 months. The severity of nasal obstruction and snoring was evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) score, the adenoid/choana (A/C) ratios before and after treatment were compared, and the rate of patient referral to surgery was recorded among groups. Results: The change in the A/C ratio within the group between before and after treatment was significant (both P < 0.001). However, the reduction in the adenoid size was more significant in Group 1 than in Group 2 (P = 0.025). A significant improvement in the VAS scores was observed between before and after treatment in both groups (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the rate of surgical referral of Group 1 was significantly lower than that of Group 2 (P = 0.035). Conclusions: INS treatment was found more successful for reducing A/C ratio in ATH without AR. Related with this, when considering the INS treatment for ATH, AR status should be kept in mind for predicting the treatment success.

Automated summary

The study found that intranasal steroid treatment was more successful in reducing adenoid/choana ratio in patients with adenoid tissue hypertrophy (ATH) without allergic rhinitis (AR). Additionally, the presence of allergic rhinitis played a significant role in predicting treatment success when considering intranasal steroid treatment for ATH.