Impact of mometasone furoate nasal spray on individual ocular symptoms of allergic rhinitis: a meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND
Intranasal corticosteroids (INSs) are a mainstay of treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) nasal symptoms. The INS mometasone furoate nasal spray (MFNS) has well-documented efficacy and safety for the treatment and prophylaxis of nasal symptoms of seasonal AR (SAR) and for the treatment of nasal symptoms of perennial AR (PAR). Increasing interest has focused on whether INSs, including MFNS, may have beneficial effects on the ocular symptoms frequently associated with AR.


METHODS
We performed a meta-analysis of 10 randomized, placebo-controlled trials of the efficacy of MFNS 200 mcg daily in relieving ocular allergy symptoms, including itching/burning, redness, and tearing/watering in both SAR and PAR. Four PAR studies and six SAR studies are included in the analysis. A fixed-effect inverse variance model was used to calculate weighted mean differences, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each comparison, and a combined overall treatment effect (Z) with P-value.


RESULTS
In both analyses of SAR and PAR studies, including 3132 patients, all individual ocular symptoms were reduced in patients treated with MFNS. Overall treatment effect was significant for all three individual ocular symptoms in the SAR studies (Z = 9.18 for tearing, Z = 10.15 for itching, and Z = 8.88 for redness; P < 0.00001 for all) and in the PAR studies (Z = 5.94, P < 0.00001 for tearing; Z = 2.43, P = 0.02 for itching; and Z = 2.42, P = 0.02 for redness).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings add to the growing body of literature supporting the positive class effect of INSs, including MFNS, on ocular symptoms associated with SAR and PAR.
Center for Environmental Prediction & STAR Allergy and Asthma Center, Rutgers University, Springfield, NJ, USA. bielory@envsci.rutgers.edu
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000068656:Mometasone Furoate; D059085:Nasal Sprays; D011244:Pregnadienediols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D059085:Nasal Sprays; D011244:Pregnadienediols; D000068656:Mometasone Furoate