title: Effect of bilastine upon the ocular symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.
abstract: Ocular symptoms often accompany allergic rhinitis and can be as or even more bothersome for the patient than the actual nasal symptoms. Ocular manifestations of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis may result from both direct allergen-mediated mast cell stimulation on the surface of the eye and naso-ocular reflexes--histamine being one of the mediators of symptoms onset. An H1 antihistamine would be the first line treatment for allergic conjunctivitis. Since allergic conjunctivitis is always (or almost always) accompanied by nasal symptoms, a second-generation H1 antihistamine administered via oral route is the drug of choice for jointly managing both the nasal and the ocular symptoms--minimizing the impact of the effects inherent to first-generation H, antihistamine, including particularly drowsiness. Bilastine is a new H1 antihistamine with an excellent safety profile, developed for the treatment of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and urticaria, with potency similar to that of cetirizine and desloratadine, and superior to that of fexofenadine. This new drug has been shown to be effective in controlling the ocular symptoms of allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, Department of Pneumology and Respiratory Allergy, Clinic Institute of Thorax (ICT), Clinical and Experimental Respiratory Immunoallergy (IDIBAPS), Clinic Hospital, Barcelona, Spain. jbartra@clinic.ub.es
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bartra
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mullol
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Montoro
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jáuregui
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: del Cuvillos
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dávila
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sastre
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valero
mesh_terms: D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000096:biosynthesis; D010880:Piperidines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001562:Benzimidazoles; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D010880:Piperidines; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; C445659:bilastine