BACKGROUND Allergic rhinitis is characterized by a chronic inflammation of nasal mucosa and represents a risk factor for asthma occurrence. H1 antihistamines reduce the symptoms of rhinitis, but some compounds may have anti-inflammatory properties. AIMS We evaluated the plasma level of some cytokines in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR) and their evolution after a 4-week treatm...

Cologne, Germany; Praxisgemeinschaft im Kapuzinerkarree, Aachen, Germany; Institute of Aerodynamics, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany. Background: Our investigation aimed to visualize the 3-D spatial distribution of nasal cavity mucosal swelling under levocetirizine prophylactic treatment on exposure to allergens. This study made use of standard rhinologic diagnostics such as rhinomanometry and aco...

Cologne, Germany; Praxisgemeinschaft im Kapuzinerkarree, Aachen, Germany; Institute of Aerodynamics, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany. Background: Our investigation aimed to visualize the 3-D spatial distribution of nasal cavity mucosal swelling under levocetirizine prophylactic treatment on exposure to allergens. This study made use of standard rhinologic diagnostics such as rhinomanometry and aco...

Levocetirizine is the pharmacologically active enantiomer of cetirizine. It is a potent histamine H-1 receptor antagonist with anti-inflammatory and antiallergic properties. The review analyses the levocetirizine's properties in terms of safety and efficacy both in allergic rhinitis and urticarioid syndromes.

Competition experiments with [H]mepyramine showed that cetirizine and its enantiomers, levocetirizine and (S)-cetirizine, bound with high affinity and stereoselectivity to human H1 histamine receptors (Ki values of 6, 3, and 100 nM, respectively). Cetirizine and levocetirizine were 600-fold more selective for H1 receptors compared with a panel of receptors and channels. Binding results indicate...

Allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) are highly burdensome diseases, which are increasing in prevalence, especially in the paediatric population. Despite the availability of a large number of medications for treatment of AR and CIU, their use in children has primarily been based on data obtained from a limited number of clinical trials in children and/or testing in adul...

Cologne, Germany; Praxisgemeinschaft im Kapuzinerkarree, Aachen, Germany; Institute of Aerodynamics, RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany. Background: Our investigation aimed to visualize the 3-D spatial distribution of nasal cavity mucosal swelling under levocetirizine prophylactic treatment on exposure to allergens. This study made use of standard rhinologic diagnostics such as rhinomanometry and aco...

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is one of the most common diseases in world, which based on immunoglobulin E (IgE) – mediated inflammation that develops after contact with various allergens. About 40 % people suffer from allergic diseases, every 3 rd inhabitant Earth has symptoms and 10 th bronchial asthma. The early phase allergen binding to IgE antibodies occurs within a few minutes contact, late 4–6 ...

BACKGROUND Second-generation antihistamines (AHs) have, in general, fewer sedative effects than the first-generation. However, important inter-drug differences remain in the degree of cognitive and/or psychomotor impairment. The extent to which a particular compound causes disruption can be conveniently compared, to all other AHs, using the Proportional Impairment Ratio (PIR). Although the PIR ...