EVALUATING THE EFFICACY OF DIFFERENT MODALITIES OF TREATMENT FOR PERSISTENT MODERATE-SEVERE ALLERGIC RHINITIS: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Allergic rhinitis is the commonest allergy encountered in clinical practice. There are various treatment modalities available for this disease control, but till now there is no definitive treatment which will cure allergic rhinitis completely. OBJECTIVE The aim of our study is to prospectively evaluate the efficacy of different modalities of treating persistent moderate-severe allergic rhinitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 100 patients both male and female aged 10 years and above, clinically suffering with moderate-severe, persistent allergic rhinitis since 5years are included in the study. A prospective study was conducted on four groups of 25 patients each. Treatment was given in a span of 2 years and followed up for 1year. RESULTS The results were 80% good, 15% satisfactory and 5% poor in persons treated with specific immunotherapy and avoidance of specific allergen. All the other treatments showed only 50% good results. So we conclude that specific immunotherapy and avoidance of specific allergen is effective for treatment of moderate-severe persistent allergic rhinitis. CONCLUSION Untreated allergic rhinitis represents a major cause of morbidity. In our prospective study we conclude that identification of causative allergens, avoidance and specific immunotherapy is an effective treatment for adults and children with persistent moderate-severe Allergic Rhinitis (AR) that does not respond to conventional pharmacotherapy.