title: Effectiveness of clemastine fumarate for treatment of rhinorrhea and sneezing associated with the common cold.
abstract: Limited data support the use of first-generation antihistamines for treatment of the common cold. The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of clemastine fumarate, a first-generation antihistamine, for treatment of sneezing and rhinorrhea associated with naturally occurring common colds. Four hundred three subjects (202 clemastine fumarate recipients and 201 placebo recipients) who reported new onset (< 24 hours) of cold symptoms that included rhinorrhea or sneezing were studied. At baseline (day 1), the mean symptom-severity scores +/- SEM for the clemastine fumarate and placebo groups were not significantly different. The mean rhinorrhea-severity score +/- SEM was not different on day 2; however, on day 3, the mean rhinorrhea-severity score +/- SEM was 1.02 +/- 0.07 for the clemastine fumarate group and 1.39 +/- 0.07 for the placebo group (P < .001). This treatment effect persisted on day 4. A significant effect on sneezing was noted on days 2-4. Sedation occurred in 14% of the clemastine fumarate-treated subjects and 1.5% of the placebo-treated subjects (P < .0001).
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Sperber
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Sorrentino
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Batouli
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gwaltney
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002974:Clemastine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003139:Common Cold / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012229:Rhinovirus; D012912:Sneezing
chemical_list: D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D002974:Clemastine