Pulmonary arterial pressure in children with allergic rhinitis.
BACKGROUND
Chronic upper airway obstruction may lead to increased pulmonary arterial pressure in childhood. Allergic rhinitis is one of the frequent causes of upper airway obstruction by nasal blockage. The aims of the study were to evaluate the pulmonary arterial pressures in children with allergic rhinitis and the effect of topical corticosteroid therapy.


METHODS
Forty-nine children composed of 27 subjects with seasonal and 22 subjects with perennial allergic rhinitis were enrolled in this study. The pulmonary arterial pressures were measured by using Doppler echocardiography.


RESULTS
The pretreatment pulmonary arterial systolic, mean, and diastolic pressures of study group were significantly higher than in healthy controls (p < 0.05). The pulmonary arterial systolic and mean pressures of the patient group significantly decreased at the end of study (p < 0.05), whereas the decrease of the diastolic pressure was not statistically significant (p > 0.05) after the treatment of a topical corticosteroid, mometasone furoate (100 microg per day), for 8 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results showed that children with allergic rhinitis have higher pulmonary arterial pressure levels compared with healthy controls and that increased pulmonary arterial pressure levels due to allergic rhinitis are reversible by using nasal topical corticosteroids. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical aspect of increased pulmonary arterial pressure.
Reisli
Ismail
I
Department of Pediatrics, Meram Medical Faculty, University of Selcuk, Konya, Turkey.
Oran
Bulent
B
Baspinar
Osman
O
Baysal
Tamer
T
Karaaslan
Sevim
S
D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002648:Child; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000068656:Mometasone Furoate; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011244:Pregnadienediols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011651:Pulmonary Artery; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*
D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D011244:Pregnadienediols; D000068656:Mometasone Furoate