BACKGROUND Proinflammatory mediators such as the cysteinyl leukotrienes are important in the pathophysiology of allergic rhinitis. This study evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of montelukast, a cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist, given once daily in the morning for treatment of seasonal (fall) allergic rhinitis for 4 weeks. METHODS This was a randomized, double-blind trial with a...

Acupuncture has been used for millennia to treat allergic diseases including both intermittent rhinitis and persistent rhinitis. Besides the research on the efficacy and safety of acupuncture treatment for allergic rhinitis, research has also investigated how acupuncture might modulate immune function to exert anti-inflammatory effects. A proposed model has previously hypothesized that acupunct...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to determine whether there is any correlation between results of the skin-prick test and the severity of symptoms in allergic rhinitis. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated 150 patients with persistent or intermittent allergic rhinitis confirmed by positive skin tests and scaled from 1 to 4 according to the size of the wheal. The symptoms including sneezing...

Allergic rhinitis affects up to 40% of children but is commonly undiagnosed. Careful assessment of nasal symptoms allows for the most appropriate therapeutic options to be chosen. Allergen avoidance is often difficult in practice. Antihistamines are of limited benefit in allergic rhinitis caused by house dust mite and other perennial allergens, where symptoms, predominantly nasal obstruction, a...

In allergen challenged animal models, eosinophils localize to airway nerves leading to vagally-mediated hyperreactivity. We hypothesized that in allergic rhinitis eosinophils recruited to nasal nerves resulted in neural hyperreactivity. Patients with persistent allergic rhinitis (n=12), seasonal allergic rhinitis (n=7) and controls (n=10) were studied. Inferior nasal turbinate biopsies were obt...

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a major health problem that can significantly impair quality of life (QoL). The former classification of AR comprises seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) and perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR), which do not adequately reflect the clinical course and presentation of AR. The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) classification is based on the duration of symptoms...

BACKGROUND Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common health complaints worldwide. Complementary and alternative medical approaches have been employed to relieve allergic rhinitis symptoms and to avoid the side effects of conventional medication. Acupuncture has been widely used to treat patients with allergic rhinitis, but the available evidence of its effectiveness is insufficient. Our objec...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the effect of rhinophototherapy with medical therapy on quality of life in persistent allergic rhinitis. METHODS A prospective, randomized study was being performed between December 2009 and March 2010. The study included 65 patients with persistent allergic rhinitis. The diagnosis was confirmed with positive skin tests. All of the patients had house dust mite allerg...

A further confounding feature is the presence of persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR). The symptoms for this are different, in that the nose is Dermot Ryan, honorary clinical research fellow, University of Edinburgh; chair, Primary Care Interest Group, European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disorder which has a major impact on the lives of sufferers...