Nonpharmacological Local Treatment of Rhinoconjunctivitis and Rhinosinusitis
1Institute of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Epidemiology (IMSIE), University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
2Postgraduate Department of the Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University Córdoba, Cordoba, Argentina
3University of Siena, ENT Unit, Siena, Italy
Nonpharmacological Local Treatment of Rhinoconjunctivitis and Rhinosinusitis
Description
Rhinoconjunctivitis and rhinosinusitis are inflammatory diseases of the mucosal tissue lining the nose and sinuses. The term rhinosinusitis is often used in US publications to refer to both entities or to a combination of rhinoconjunctivitis and rhinosinusitis. Allergic rhinosinusitis (AR) is an IgE-mediated immune response to allergens. It is subdivided into intermittent and persistent allergic rhinosinusitis, and its severity is classified as mild, moderate, and severe. In addition, several nonallergic forms of the disease exist which can be caused by infectious agents, hormonal imbalance, occupational agents, drugs, or physical, emotional, and chemical factors. During recent years, the incidence of AR has increased, resulting in rising impact on economic burden, school/work performance, and commonly associated comorbidities such as asthma and chronic bronchitis.
In parallel with this worldwide development, we notice an increase in the occurrence of episodes of acute rhinoconjunctivitis and in the prevalence of chronic rhinosinusitis. Typical symptoms of rhinosinusitis are nasal blockage, increased nasal discharge, facial pain or pressure, and reduction or loss in smell. Initial management of acute rhinosinusitis is mainly symptomatic and intranasal corticosteroids alone or as adjuvant in antibiotic treatment strategies as well as the use of decongestants are common. Additionally, treatment with a number of nonpharmacological remedies is available. However, heterogeneous study designs and a relatively low number of trials make a summary of their efficacies difficult.
Here, we aimed to focus on nonpharmacological treatment strategies for rhinoconjunctivitis and rhinosinusitis, therewith elucidating what alternative treatments are available, and to investigate their effectiveness, risk-benefit ratios, and comparability to their pharmacological counterparts. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:
- Complementary medications/natural products for treating rhinoconjunctivitis and rhinosinusitis
- Investigating the role of mucosal membranes in the context of rhinoconjunctivitis and rhinosinusitis
- Investigating the use of nasal spray and eye drops containing natural products in allergic rhinosinusitis
- Nasal douching
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