Steroids better than antihistamines to treat allergies
Corticosteroid nasal sprays are better than antihistamines when used “as needed” to treat seasonal allergies, according to researchers from the University of Chicago.
The finding, which was published in the November 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, suggested that the current prescription patterns and guidelines flavoring the use of antihistamines to be the first-line treatment option for mild or moderate allergies need to be altered.
From Sciencedaily.com:
Antihistamines can block the actions of histamines if taken in advance but they have no impact on the late response. Intranasal steroids inhibit the late response and prevent priming.
“Antihistamines,” explained Naclerio, “taken once symptoms have already appeared, arrive too late to block the early response and have little effect on the late response. Corticosteroids taken when symptoms begin can prevent the late response and inhibit priming, which makes the patient more sensitive to subsequent contacts.”
“Our study,” he added, “demonstrates the greater importance of the late response compared to the immediate response.”
The authors emphasize that continuous medication use is more effective than sporadic use in response to symptoms but acknowledge that few patients comply with those instructions.
In light of their findings, they suggest revising the current guidelines so that “intranasal corticosteroids should become the first-line treatment for seasonal allergies. They should now be recommended for regular use in patients with severe disease,” said Naclerio, “and for as-needed use in patients with mild disease.”
Robert Naclerio, M.D., chief of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Chicago and director of the study, remarked more people will be benefiting and health costs can be dramatically reduced by altering the present guidelines to match patient practice.
Tags: antihistamines, corticosteroid, corticosteroids, seasonal allergies
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