Effects of glucocorticoid therapy on nasal conditions and inflammatory factors in patients with allergic rhinitis

Objective: To investigate the effects of glucocorticoid therapy on nasal condition and inflammatory factors in patients with allergic rhinitis. Methods: A total of 200 patients with allergic rhinitis were selected, of which 90 patients were treated with glucocorticoid, budesonide through nasal spray as Group A, and 110 patients were treated with common nasal decongestant, oxymetazoline hydrochloride spray, as Group B. The total effective rate and incidence of adverse reactions in the patients were analyzed after 7 days of treatment, and their nasal pH value was detected after 14 days of treatment. The nasal symptoms and life quality of the patients were scored using the visual analog scale (VAS) and rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) after 14 days and 28 days of treatment. The expression of inflammatory factors (interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-17 (IL-17), and interleukin-33 (IL-33)) was determined using the enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA) before treatment and after three months of treatment. Results: The total effective rate in Group A was clearly higher than that in Group B, and the incidence of adverse reactions in Group A was significantly lower than that in Group B. Group B showed inconspicuous changes in nasal pH value before and after treatment, while Group A showed a significantly decreased nasal pH value after treatment. Moreover, after treatment, the VAS score of Group A was significantly lower than that of Group B in terms of all indexes except for ocular conditions and daily activities, and the expression of IL-4, IL-17, and IL-33 of Group A was significantly lower than that of Group B. Conclusion: Glucocorticoids are more effective than common nasal decongestants in inhibiting inflammatory factors, and they can relieve allergic rhinitis in patients more effectively and safely and strongly improve the life quality of the patients.