title: Antihistamines and serum adhesion molecule levels.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Some antihistamines are capable of inducing decreased expression of adhesion molecules in nasal and conjunctival tissues of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis patients. This study aimed to determine if one month of therapy with loratadine 10 mg once daily would also induce any decrease in serum levels of soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) or VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1).
  
  
  METHODS
  40 monosensitized House Dust Mite (HDM) mild-to-moderate allergic rhinitis patients were included in the study. During the study, twenty patients randomly received 10 mg loratadine daily, the other twenty did not take any antihistamine. All patients were treated with nasal budesonide daily and sodium cromoglycate nasal spray when needed. Serum soluble ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels were determined by immunoenzimatic assay before and in the end of the study period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After one month of loratadine sVCAM-1 levels had a significant decrease (from 724.8 to 625 ng/ml) while sICAM-1 levels had a slight but not significant increase. Control patients did not have significant variations in sVCAM-1 or sICAM-1 serum levels. During regular antihistamine therapy patients improved their clinical scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Loratadine 10 mg daily during one month induced a decrease in sVCAM-1 but not in sICAM-1 levels in HDM allergic rhinitis patients.
authors.affiliation: Immunoallergology Unit-CHIUL, Hospital Santa Maria, Faculty of Medicine, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Branco-Ferreira
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: dos Santos
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Palma-Carlos
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Palma-Carlos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019819:Budesonide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004205:Cromolyn Sodium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood*; D017336:Loratadine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012995:Solubility; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D019010:Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; D019819:Budesonide; D017336:Loratadine; D004205:Cromolyn Sodium