title: Role of antioxidants on the clinical outcome of patients with perennial allergic rhinitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Antioxidants have a preventive or therapeutic role in oxygen free radical-mediated cell and tissue damage. The study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of antioxidants and intranasal steroid fluticasone furoate (FF) on the clinical outcome of patients with perennial allergic rhinitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects with perennial allergic rhinitis (n = 61) were randomly divided into two groups, group A (n = 30) received FF and group B (n = 31) received FF with antioxidants for 6 weeks. Nasal and ocular symptoms were evaluated weekly by using a four-point categoric scale. The efficacy of the study drug was assessed based on the mean change from baseline of the total daytime nasal symptom scores, total nighttime nasal symptom scores, and the composite symptom scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The combined therapy (FF with antioxidants) resulted in marked improvements (p ≤ 0.05) in the mean total daytime nasal symptom scores, total nighttime nasal symptom scores, and composite symptom scores of subjects compared with ones treated with intranasal steroid (FF) alone, which highlighted the therapeutic effect of antioxidants in allergic rhinitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant improvement in clinical outcome was observed in subjects who received antioxidants along with FF. However, because this was an open-label study, the results must be interpreted with caution, and further double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trials supplemented with different antioxidants together with intranasal steroids are suggested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ear, Nose and Throat, Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital, Punjab, India.
authors.forename: Bhushan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chauhan
authors.forename: Manish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Komal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chauhan