ALLERGIC RHINITIS

Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common ENT diseases in Faisalabad. The affects of topical steroids on nasal mucosal environment has not been studied reliably. Objectives: To see the affects of topical steroids on symptom score and mucociliary clearance in Allergic Rhinitis. Rationale: To see whether symptom score change with change in mucociliary clearance after topical application of steroids. Study design: A quasi-experimental study. Setting: ENT Unit, Madina Teaching Hospital, Faisalabad ( a tertiary care hospital). Subjects: (sample, sampling technique): Non-probability convenience sampling. Fifty patients in total. Intervention: Saccharine with dye: india ink (Indigocarmine) application on anterior end of inferior turbinate to check mucociliary clearance. Methods (Main outcome measures): To assess change in mucociliary clearance time and symptom score (total as well as individual) before and after application of steroid at one, three and six months in patients having allergic rhinitis. Each nasal symptom was scored as zero to 3 on a severity scale (absent-mild-moderatesevere). Results: Patients were tested for nasal mucociliary clearance and symptom score before and after application of steroid. The results showed statistically significant difference in these groups. Conclusions: 1.Topical steroids modify the nasal mucosal environment in terms of mucociliary clearance and thus affects the patients quality of life in terms of allergic rhinitis symptom score 2. More long term follow up and wider studies are required to study the definite affects of steroids on nasal mucosa.