title: Cedar and cypress pollinosis and allergic rhinitis: quality of life effects of early intervention with leukotriene receptor antagonists.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Allergic rhinitis involves inflammation of the nasal passages. The use of nasal steroids is generally very effective in providing significant symptom relief. However, compliance for their use is sometimes poor.
  
  
  METHODS
  To examine the efficacy of early intervention (before pollen dispersal) with oral cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) on pollinosis in patients with allergy to cedar and Japanese cypress pollens, groups of subjects were treated with LTRA or a placebo for 4 weeks at the beginning of the cedar pollen dispersal season. Subsequently, all patients received nasal steroid therapy concomitantly with LTRA throughout the remaining period of the pollen dispersal season. The effects of such early treatment with LTRA on pollinosis were investigated using symptom scores from an allergy diary and quality of life (QOL) scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sneezing and nasal congestion scores were significantly lower in the LTRA-pretreated subjects than observed in the placebo-pretreated patients between weeks 4 and 6 and weeks 3 and 5, respectively. QOL scores improved significantly in all domains after concomitant therapy with nasal steroids. The percent improvement in the nasal congestion score after the concomitant therapy was significantly higher in the LTRA group (69%) than in the placebo group (41%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant differences observed in symptoms and in QOL effects between LTRA- and placebo-pretreated patients and the absence of major adverse effects noted in these studies suggest that early intervention with LTRA is beneficial and safe and should be considered in the management of pollinosis-associated allergic rhinitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
authors.forename: Keita
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Syuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yonekura
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okawa
authors.forename: Shigetoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horiguchi
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chazono
authors.forename: Minako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hisamitsu
authors.forename: Daiju
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Toyoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hanazawa
authors.forename: Kimihiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okubo
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002867:Chromones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D032485:Cryptomeria / Q000276:immunology*; D029781:Cupressus / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020024:Leukotriene Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology; D011788:Quality of Life; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D002867:Chromones; D020024:Leukotriene Antagonists; C047681:pranlukast