ANTIHISTAMINES

Objectives: Allergic rhinitis impairs social life, but it is not known whether quality of life may be improved when patient are treatedwith H 1 blockers. The present study evaluated the comparative efficacy and safety of cetirizine, loratidine and astemizole in patients of allergicrhinitis. Material &Methods: The design was open, randomized, parallel group comparison of three active treatment groups over a six weekperiod. Sixty patients of either sex in the age group of 16 – 45 years, suffering from allergic rhinitis were selected randomly. The effect ofcetirizine, loratidine and astemizole were observed on various parameters i.e., sneezing, nasal obstruction, watering of eyes, sedation andoverall well being of the patients over a period of six weeks. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was utilized as a quantitative measure of symptomrelief. Results: An improvement in patient's discomfort as assessed by VAS was observed in all treatment groups, with cetirizine 10mg dailybeing significantly more effective than loratidine 10mg and astemizole 10mg. Cetirizine resulted in a significant reduction in sneezing and nasalobstruction as compared to loratidine and astemizole (p<0.05). Cetirizine and loratidine both were equally efficacious in relieving watering ofeyes but cetirizine as well as loratidine were more efficacious as compared to astemizole (p<0.05). Sedation was found to be maximum withcetirizine followed by astemizole and loratidine over six weeks of study period. Conclusion: Cetirizine has been found to be most effective inrelieving the symptoms of allergic rhinitis followed by loratidine and astemizole and it can also improve quality of life for patients with allergicrhinitis.