Allergic Rhinitis: A Review.

Importance: Allergic rhinitis affects an estimated 15% of the US population (approximately 50 million individuals) and is associated with the presence of asthma, eczema, chronic or recurrent sinusitis, cough, and both tension and migraine headaches. Observations: Allergic rhinitis occurs when disruption of the epithelial barrier allows allergens to penetrate the mucosal epithelium of nasal passages, inducing a T-helper type 2 inflammatory response and production of allergen-specific IgE. Allergic rhinitis typically presents with symptoms of nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, postnasal drainage, sneezing, and itching of the eyes, nose, and throat. In an international study, the most common symptoms of allergic rhinitis were rhinorrhea (90.38%) and nasal congestion (94.23%). Patients with nonallergic rhinitis present primarily with nasal congestion and postnasal drainage frequently associated with sinus pressure, ear plugging, muffled sounds and pain, and eustachian tube dysfunction that is less responsive to nasal corticosteroids. Patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis typically have physical examination findings of edematous and pale turbinates. Patients with perennial allergic rhinitis typically have erythematous and inflamed turbinates with serous secretions that appear similar to other forms of chronic rhinitis at physical examination. Patients with nonallergic rhinitis have negative test results for specific IgE aeroallergens. Intermittent allergic rhinitis is defined as symptoms occurring less than 4 consecutive days/week or less than 4 consecutive weeks/year. Persistent allergic rhinitis is defined as symptoms occurring more often than 4 consecutive days/week and for more than 4 consecutive weeks/year. Patients with allergic rhinitis should avoid inciting allergens. In addition, first-line treatment for mild intermittent or mild persistent allergic rhinitis may include a second-generation H1 antihistamine (eg, cetirizine, fexofenadine, desloratadine, loratadine) or an intranasal antihistamine (eg, azelastine, olopatadine), whereas patients with persistent moderate to severe allergic rhinitis should be treated initially with an intranasal corticosteroid (eg, fluticasone, triamcinolone, budesonide, mometasone) either alone or in combination with an intranasal antihistamine. In contrast, first-line therapy for patients with nonallergic rhinitis consists of an intranasal antihistamine as monotherapy or in combination with an intranasal corticosteroid. Conclusions and Relevance: Allergic rhinitis is associated with symptoms of nasal congestion, sneezing, and itching of the eyes, nose, and throat. Patients with allergic rhinitis should be instructed to avoid inciting allergens. Therapies include second-generation H1 antihistamines (eg, cetirizine, fexofenadine, desloratadine, loratadine), intranasal antihistamines (eg, azelastine, olopatadine), and intranasal corticosteroids (eg, fluticasone, triamcinolone, budesonide, mometasone) and should be selected based on the severity and frequency of symptoms and patient preference.

Nasal Disorders.

Nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, and epistaxis are common presenting concerns in primary care clinics. Nasal disorders affect the quality of life for many children and families. Rarely, these complaints may represent a life-threatening condition among infant obligate nasal breathers or cases of unusual pathology. The most common causes of rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction vary by age and include physiologic, infectious, allergic, foreign body, irritant, and traumatic causes. Less commonly, children may have congenital malformations, sinonasal masses, or autoimmune disease. The most common causes of epistaxis are inflammatory, environmental, and traumatic causes and medication misuse, but rarely, children may have predisposing anatomic, hematologic, or vascular abnormalities or even sinonasal tumors. In this article, we provide a thorough review of the common nasal disorders treated every day in primary care clinics and mention briefly some of the rare but serious cases that may be overlooked without considering a full differential diagnosis.

Changes in pharmacist's recommendations of over-the-counter treatments for the common cold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The common cold is one of the most frequently occurring illnesses worldwide. The aim of this study was to determine which OTC anti-common cold medications were most often recommended by pharmacists and if the COVID-19 pandemic affected such recommendations. METHODS: Non-interventional, observational research trial using a self-developed questionnaire to collect data on pharmacists' recommendations for anti-common cold OTC treatment. The data were collected during the COVID-19 pandemic (December 2021-February 2022) in four large community network pharmacies in Lodz (Poland) and then compared with an analogue period of time before the pandemic (December 2019-February 2020). RESULTS: During COVID-19 pandemic there was a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid, metamizole magnesium, inosines, alpha-mimetics, mucolytics, homeopathics, and sore throat products and an increase in other tablets/capsules and add-on product recommendations. There was a significant relationship (p < 0.05, OR > 1) between the recommended frequency of paracetamol, inosines, sore throat products (each symptom), metamizole magnesium (headache, fever), acetylsalicylic acid (headache, fever, fatigue), NSAIDs, alpha-mimetics (headache, rhinorrhea), pseudoephedrine (rhinorrhea), homeopathics (headache), herbal products (fatigue), antihistamines (rhinorrhea, cough), and mucolytics (headache, fever, cough). CONCLUSIONS: Favorable prices (before COVID-19 pandemic) and reports on common NSAIDs side effects (beginning of the pandemic) led to high sale of paracetamol. Increased awareness of clinical effectiveness of some medications or their reduced availability influenced their limited recommendations.

Exploration of the utility of different doses of Qingfei Dayuan granules: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Clinical studies have confirmed that Qingfei Dayuan (QFDY) granules are effective in the treatment of influenza and upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) caused by pulmonary heat-toxin syndrome (PHTS). Granules of Chinese medicine formulations have become a widely used dosage form in clinical practice. With the continuous optimization of extraction technology, the advantages of Chinese medicine granules have been gradually demonstrated, but the price of Chinese medicine granules is generally higher than that of traditional dosage forms of Chinese medicine, and we support the rational use of the appropriate dosage of QFDY for patients with these conditions. Therefore, we set up half of the conventional dose as the low dose group, and designed the three-arm study to rigorously compare the efficacy difference of low-dose QFDY, QFDY and the placebo group, with the expectation of providing scientific support for the rational selection of the dose and the safe and effective use of the medicine in clinical practice. METHODS: We recruited 108 patients with clinical diagnoses of influenza and URTIs caused by PHTS to receive treatment at six hospitals in Hubei, China. Using a centralized randomization system, patients were randomly assigned at a 1:1:1 ratio to the QFDY, low-dose QFDY, or placebo control groups to receive the corresponding drug, and the study physicians, subjects, outcome assessors, and statisticians were unaware of group assignments. The primary outcome was the time to complete fever relief. Secondary outcomes included the efficacy of Chinese medicine in alleviating signs and symptoms and the disappearance rate of individual symptoms. Adverse events were monitored throughout the trial. RESULTS: A total of 108 patients were recruited. A total of 106 patients were included in the full analysis set (FAS). In the FAS analysis, there was no statistically significant difference in baseline of the three groups before treatment (P > 0.05). 1. Regarding the median time to complete fever relief, the QFDY, low-dose QFDY and placebo groups had median times of 26 h, 40 h and 48 h, respectively. The QFDY group had a shorter time to complete fever relief than the placebo group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05), while the low-dose QFDY group had a shorter time than the placebo group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). 2. In terms of the total efficacy of Chinese medicine in alleviating symptoms at the end of three full days of treatment, as well as the cure rate of red and sore throat, stuffy and runny nose, and sneezing, QFDY and low-dose QFDY were superior to the placebo, and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.01). There was no statistical significance in the comparison between the QFDY group and the low-dose QFDY group (P > 0.05). 3. In terms of the headache cure rate after three full days of treatment, QFDY was superior to the placebo, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05), and there was no significant efficacy of low-dose QFDY. 4. Safety comparisons showed no serious adverse events and 30 minor adverse events, which were not clinically considered to be related to the drug and were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: In the treatment of patients with influenza and URTIs caused by PHTS, which are mainly characterized by clinical symptoms such as red and sore throat, stuffy and runny nose, and sneezing, when fever is not obvious or low-grade fever is present, the use of low-dose QFDY to simply alleviate the clinical symptoms is recommended and preferred. Moreover, with its good safety profile, QFDY can be used in the treatment of patients with influenza and URTIs caused by PHTS, which can effectively shorten the duration of fever, significantly increase the total efficacy of Chinese medicine in alleviating symptoms after 3 days of treatment, and accelerate the recovery of symptoms such as red and sore throat, stuffy and runny nose, sneezing, and headache, etc. Clinical Trial Registration: http://www.chictr.org.cn. TRIAL NUMBER: ChiCTR2100043449. Registered on 18 February 2021.

[Systematic review and Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of Bidouyan Oral Liquid in treatment of rhinosinusitis].

This study aimed to systematically review the efficacy and safety of Bidouyan Oral Liquid in the treatment of rhinosinu-sitis(RS). CNKI, Wanfang, SinoMed, VIP, Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science, and Ovid were searched for the randomized controlled trial(RCT) of Bidouyan Oral Liquid for the treatment of RS patients. Moreover, the reference lists and the grey literature were searched manually. Two researchers independently screened the literature and extracted data. The Cochrane collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias(RoB 2.0) in randomized trial was used to assess the methodological quality of the included stu-dies. Meta-analysis was performed in RevMan 5.3 and Stata 12.0, and the grades of recommendation, assessment, development and evaluation(GRADE) was employed to evaluate the quality of evidence. A total of 54 RCTs(35 with drug combinations and 19 with single drugs) comprising 7 511 patients(3 973 in the observation group and 3 538 in the control group) were included. Meta-analysis showed that Bidouyan Oral Liquid + conventional treatment was superior to conventional treatment alone in increasing the total response rate(RR=1.19, 95%CI[1.15, 1.24], P<0.000 01) and decreasing the Lund-Kennedy scores(MD=-1.94, 95%CI[-2.61,-1.26], P<0.000 01), Lund-Mackay scores(MD=-2.14, 95%CI[-2.98,-1.31], P<0.000 01), and visual analogue scale(VAS) scores(MD_(total VAS scores)=-1.28, 95%CI[-1.56,-1.01], P<0.000 01; MD_(nasal congestion VAS scores)=-0.58, 95%CI[-0.89,-0.27], P=0.000 2; MD_(runny nose VAS scores)=-0.61, 95%CI[-0.93,-0.29], P=0.000 2; MD_(olfactory dysfunction VAS scores)=-0.43, 95%CI[-0.52,-0.34], P<0.000 01; MD_(head and facial pain VAS scores)=-0.41, 95%CI[-0.57,-0.26], P<0.000 01). Furthermore, the combined treatment outperformed conventional treatment alone in improving the mucociliary transport rate(MTR)(MD=1.64, 95%CI[1.08, 2.20], P<0.000 01) and lowering the levels of inflammatory cytokines{tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)(SMD=-1.95, 95%CI[-2.57,-1.33], P<0.000 01), interleukin-6(IL-6)(SMD=-2.64, 95%CI[-4.08,-1.21], P=0.000 3)} in RS patients. In addition, the combined treatment did not increase the incidence of adverse reactions(RR=0.83, 95%CI[0.44, 1.57], P=0.57). Bidouyan Oral Liquid was superior to conventional treatment in increasing total response rate(RR=1.25, 95%CI[1.18, 1.32], P<0.000 01), decreasing the Lund-Kennedy(P<0.01) and Lund-Mackay scores(P<0.05), alleviating major symptoms(P_(total VAS scores)<0.01; P_(nasal congestion VAS scores)<0.01; P_(runny nose VAS scores)<0.01; P_(olfactory dysfunction VAS scores)<0.05; P_(head and facial pain VAS scores)<0.01), and decreasing adverse reactions(P=0.03). The results showed that either Bidouyan Oral Liquid or Bidouyan Oral Liquid + conventional treatment can increase the total response rate, decrease the Lund-Kennedy and Lund-Mackay scores, and mitigate major symptoms. In addition, Bidouyan Oral Liquid + conventional treatment improved MTR and reduced the expression of TNF-α and IL-6 without causing serious adverse events. However, due to the limited methodological quality of the included studies, large-sample and high-quality RCTs are needed to provide evidence support.

Indoor air pollution is associated with respiratory symptoms in children in urban Vietnam.

Exposure to indoor air pollution (IAP) is a leading environmental risk for respiratory diseases. We investigated the relationship between respiratory symptoms and polluting indoor activities such as smoking, cooking and contact with pets among children in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. A cross-sectional survey applied a multistage sampling method in 24 randomly selected secondary schools across the city. Approximately 15,000 students completed self-administrated questionnaires on risk factors and respiratory health outcomes within the preceding 12 months. Data were analyzed using a multivariable logistic regression model with robust standard errors. Wheeze was the most common respiratory symptom (39.5 %) reported, followed by sneezing and runny nose (28.3 %). A small percentage of students self-reported asthma (8.6 %). Approximately 56 % of participants lived with family members who smoked. A positive association between exposure to indoor secondhand smoke and respiratory symptoms was observed, with adjusted odds ratios (aOR) of 1.41 (95 % CI: 1.25-1.60, p < 0.001) for wheezing and 1.64 (95 % CI: 1.43-1.87, p < 0.001) for sneezing and runny nose, respectively. Using an open stove fuelled by coal, wood, or kerosene for cooking was associated with wheeze (aOR: 1.36, CI 95 %: 1.10-1.68, p = 0.01) and sneezing and runny nose (aOR: 1.36, CI 95 %: 1.09-1.69, p = 0.01). In the present study, IAP was associated with adverse health outcomes, as evidenced by an increase in respiratory symptoms reported within the previous 12 months.

Evaluation of the Live-Attenuated Intranasal Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine RSV/6120/ΔNS2/1030s in RSV-Seronegative Young Children.

BACKGROUND: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of pediatric lower respiratory illness (LRI) and a vaccine for immunization of children is needed. RSV/6120/ΔNS2/1030s is a cDNA-derived live-vaccine candidate attenuated by deletion of the interferon antagonist NS2 gene and the genetically stabilized 1030s missense polymerase mutation in the polymerase, conferring temperature sensitivity. METHODS: A single intranasal dose of RSV/6120/ΔNS2/1030s was evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (vaccine to placebo ratio, 2:1) at 105.7 plaque-forming units (PFU) in 15 RSV-seropositive 12- to 59-month-old children, and at 105 PFU in 30 RSV-seronegative 6- to 24-month-old children. RESULTS: RSV/6120/ΔNS2/1030s infected 100% of RSV-seronegative vaccinees and was immunogenic (geometric mean RSV plaque-reduction neutralizing antibody titer [RSV-PRNT], 1:91) and genetically stable. Mild rhinorrhea was detected more frequently in vaccinees (18/20 vaccinees vs 4/10 placebo recipients, P = .007), and LRI occurred in 1 vaccinee during a period when only vaccine virus was detected. Following the RSV season, 5 of 16 vaccinees had ≥4-fold rises in RSV-PRNT with significantly higher titers than 4 of 10 placebo recipients with rises (1:1992 vs 1:274, P = .02). Thus, RSV/6120/ΔNS2/1030s primed for substantial anamnestic neutralizing antibody responses following naturally acquired RSV infection. CONCLUSIONS: RSV/6120/ΔNS2/1030s is immunogenic and genetically stable in RSV-seronegative children, but the frequency of rhinorrhea in vaccinees exceeded that in placebo recipients. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT03387137.

Effectiveness of temperature-controlled radiofrequency neurolysis of the posterior nasal nerve to treat chronic rhinitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the effect of TRNP on rhinitis-related symptoms. METHODS: We reviewed studies retrieved from PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, the Web of Science, and the Cochrane database to June 2023. Studies that evaluated quality-of-life and rhinitis-related symptom scores before and after treatment were analyzed, as was one sham-treatment-controlled study. RESULTS: In total, 406 patients evaluated in five studies were analyzed. TRNP significantly improved rhinitis-related symptoms-congestion, itching, rhinorrhea, and sneezing-for up to 12 months after treatment, compared to before treatment. The most significant symptom decreases were those of rhinorrhea and nasal congestion. Rhinitis-related symptoms had improved significantly at 3 months after TRNP, compared to sham surgery. TRNP improved disease-specific quality-of-life scores on the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire at 6 months after treatment, compared to before treatment. The rates of clinical improvement in terms of all nasal symptoms (reduction > 30% from baseline) and in quality of life (minimal clinically important difference > 0.4) after TRNP were 79% and 84% respectively. There was no severe adverse event associated with either device use or the overall procedure. CONCLUSIONS: TRNP treatment improved subjective symptoms related to rhinitis, especially rhinorrhea and nasal congestion, and also improved disease-specific quality-of-life scores.

Treatment of Allergic Rhinitis in Clinical Practice.

Allergic rhinitis is a prevalent condition among children, with its occurrence reaching up to 40% of the general population in some geographical areas. A type 2 immunity sustains allergic rhinitis. Consequently, type 2 inflammation leads to eosinophilic infiltrate of the nasal mucosa. Allergic inflammation causes the symptom occurrence. Typical nasal symptoms include nasal itching, sneezing, watery rhinorrhea, and nasal congestion. Nasal congestion depends on vasodilation and increased mucus production. These conditions result in nasal obstruction. Nasal obstruction is closely associated with type 2 inflammation. Allergic rhinitis usually occurs in association with other allergic conditions, in particular allergic conjunctivitis and asthma. The effective management of allergic rhinitis involves avoiding triggering allergens and employing pharmacological treatments as per ARIA guidelines. These treatments may include intranasal/oral antihistamines or/and nasal corticosteroids. In particular, antihistamines are particularly indicated for symptoms consequent to mediators' release, mainly concerning histamine. These histamine-dependent symptoms include itching, sneezing, and rhinorrhea. Nasal obstruction, being associated with inflammation, is responsive to corticosteroids, administered mostly intranasally. The fixed combination of a topical antihistamine plus a topical corticosteroid is very effective, but is indicated for adolescents only. However, nasal lavage is safe, cheap, and adequate, thus its use is prevalent. Namely, nasal lavage allows to remove secretions, allergens, mediators. In addition, hypertonic solutions exert a decongestant activity. On the other hand, the allergen-specific immunotherapy is still the only causal treatment. Nutraceuticals have also been used to relieve symptoms. The objective of this review is to explore and compare the traditional and new therapeutic approaches for pollen-induced allergic rhinitis in children.

Postnasal drip and chronic cough in patients with chronic rhinitis treated with temperature-controlled radiofrequency neurolysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the contribution of postnasal drip (PND) and chronic cough (CC) to symptoms of patients with chronic rhinitis treated with temperature-controlled radiofrequency (TCRF) neurolysis of the posterior nasal nerve (PNN), and correlate PND and CC scores with components of the reflective total nasal symptom score (rTNSS). METHODS: Pooled data from three prospective studies: two single-arm studies and the index active treatment arm of a randomized controlled trial. Adult patients with baseline rTNSS ≥6 were treated with TCRF neurolysis at nonoverlapping regions of the PNN. PND and CC symptoms were evaluated on a 0 (none) to 3 (severe) scale. RESULTS: Data from 228 patients (57.9% women, 42.1% men) were included. The mean baseline rTNSS was 8.1 (95% confidence interval [CI], 7.8-8.3), which decreased to 3.2 (95% CI, 2.9-3.5) at 6 months. At baseline, 97.4% of patients had PND and 80.3% had CC. Median baseline PND and CC symptom scores were 3 (interquartile range [IQR], 2-3) and 2 (IQR, 1-2), respectively. At 6 months, this decreased to 1 (IQR, 0-2) and 0 (IQR, 0-1), respectively, showing significant improvement from baseline (both p < 0.001). Spearman correlation coefficients with components of rTNSS (rhinorrhea, congestion, itching, sneezing) were 0.16 to 0.22 for CC and 0.19 to 0.46 for PND, indicating only a weak to moderate correlation. CONCLUSION: PND and CC contribute to the symptomatology of chronic rhinitis and are significantly improved after TCRF neurolysis of the PNN. The inclusion of PND and CC symptoms in a chronic rhinitis assessment instrument could provide important additional information for the characterization of the disease state and outcomes after any therapeutic treatment.

An indirect comparative analysis of two posterior nasal nerve ablation techniques for treating chronic rhinitis: A systemic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates and compares the effects of two treatments that ablate the posterior nasal nerves for rhinitis-related symptoms: cryotherapy and radiofrequency neurolysis. METHODS: We reviewed studies retrieved from PubMed, SCOPUS, Embase, the Web of Science and the Cochrane database up to June 2023. Papers reporting quality-of-life and rhinitis-related symptom scores before and after cryotherapy, and sham-controlled studies, were analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 738 patients enrolled in 10 studies were evaluated. Both cryotherapy and radiofrequency neurolysis significantly improved rhinitis-related symptoms including congestion, itching, rhinorrhea, and sneezing, and quality of life during 12 months of follow-up. Radiofrequency neurolysis was significantly more effective than cryotherapy in terms of reducing total nasal symptom scores at up to 12 months postoperatively. In terms of individual symptoms, itching, rhinorrhea, and congestion were significantly alleviated or tended to be reduced more by radiofrequency neurolysis than by cryotherapy. The improvements in the minimal clinically important difference in total nasal symptom scores (1.0 point) after 3 months of cryotherapy and radiofrequency therapy were 81.8 % and 92.7 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Cryotherapy and radiofrequency neurolysis both improved rhinitis-symptom and quality-of-life scores. Especially, radiofrequency neurolysis showed the better effectiveness for improving the nasal symptoms related to the rhinitis than cryotherapy.

[Systematic review and Meta-analysis of efficacy and safety of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules in treatment of influenza].

This study aims to systematically review the efficacy and safety of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules in the treatment of influenza. The randomized controlled trial(RCT) of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules alone or in combination with conventional western medicine for treating influenza were retrieved from PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and ClinicalTrails.gov. The data analysis was performed in RevMan 5.4.1. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was used to evaluate the quality of the involved RCT, and GRADEpro GDT to assess the quality of the evidence. A total of 11 RCTs involving 1 836 patients were included in this study. Compared with conventional western medicine, Shufeng Jiedu Capsules/Shufeng Jiedu Capsules + conventional western medicine improved the response rate(RR=1.09, 95%CI[1.03, 1.15], P=0.002), shortened the time to relief of cough, and increased the 3-day sore throat relief rate, whereas there was no significant difference in the time to fever abatement, the time to relief of sore throat, 3-day cough relief rate, or 3-day runny nose relief rate. Subgroup-analysis showed that Shufeng Jiedu Capsules + conventional western medicine improved the response rate(RR=1.11, 95%CI[1.08, 1.15], P<0.000 01), shortened the time to relief of cough, and increased the 3-day relief rate of symptoms(cough, sore throat, and runny nose) compared with conventional western medicine alone, while there was no significant difference in the time to fever abatement or the time to relief of sore throat. Shufeng Jiedu Capsules alone could not improve the response rate(RR=0.97, 95%CI[0.93, 1.02], P=0.19). In addition, Shufeng Jiedu Capsules/Shufeng Jiedu Capsules + conventional western medicine vs conventional western medicine were no significant difference in adverse reactions(RR=0.98, 95%CI[0.57, 1.69], P=0.95). The available evidence suggests that Shufeng Jiedu Capsules is effective and safe in the treatment of influenza, and the combination of Shufeng Jiedu Capsules with conventional western medicine can accelerate the relief of symptoms. However, since the number and quality of the included studies were low, the above findings remained to be further verified by multicenter RCT with large sample sizes.

Factors associated with SARS-COV-2 positive test in Lifelines.

BACKGROUND: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2) can affect anyone, however, it is often mixed with other respiratory diseases. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with SARS-COV-2 positive test. METHODS: Participants from the Northern Netherlands representative of the general population were included if filled in the questionnaire about well-being between June 2020-April 2021 and were tested for SARS-COV-2. The outcome was a self-reported test as measured by polymerase chain reaction. The data were collected on age, sex, household, smoking, alcohol use, physical activity, quality of life, fatigue, symptoms and medications use. Participants were matched on sex, age and the timing of their SARS-COV-2 tests maintaining a 1:4 ratio and classified into those with a positive and negative SARS-COV-2 using logistic regression. The performance of the model was compared with other machine-learning algorithms by the area under the receiving operating curve. RESULTS: 2564 (20%) of 12786 participants had a positive SARS-COV-2 test. The factors associated with a higher risk of SARS-COV-2 positive test in multivariate logistic regression were: contact with someone tested positive for SARS-COV-2, ≥1 household members, typical SARS-COV-2 symptoms, male gender and fatigue. The factors associated with a lower risk of SARS-COV-2 positive test were higher quality of life, inhaler use, runny nose, lower back pain, diarrhea, pain when breathing, sore throat, pain in neck, shoulder or arm, numbness or tingling, and stomach pain. The performance of the logistic models was comparable with that of random forest, support vector machine and gradient boosting machine. CONCLUSIONS: Having a contact with someone tested positive for SARS-COV-2 and living in a household with someone else are the most important factors related to a positive SARS-COV-2 test. The loss of smell or taste is the most prominent symptom associated with a positive test. Symptoms like runny nose, pain when breathing, sore throat are more likely to be indicative of other conditions.

Minimal clinically important differences on the DyNaChron questionnaire after surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To determine minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) for the DyNaChron chronic rhinosinusitis quality-of-life questionnaire. INTRODUCTION: MCIDs are the smallest changes in a quality-of-life score that are of clinical relevance for the patient. They allow treatment benefit to be estimated. MCIDs have not previously been determined for DyNaChron. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A single-center retrospective study analyzed DyNaChron questionnaires filled out between June 2016 and December 2021 by all patients consulting for chronic nasal dysfunction. Five hundred and thirteen of the 2390 patients were operated on for nasal polyposis (NP; n=282) or septo(rhino)plasty+inferior turbinoplasty (SPIT; n=231). Standard error of measurement was used to determine MCIDs. RESULTS: MCID for DyNaChron global score was 60 in NP and 58 in SPIT. MCIDs per symptom domain in NP and SPIT respectively were: 15 and 13 for nasal obstruction, 21 and 21 for anterior rhinorrhea, 20 and 19 for posterior rhinorrhea, and 17 and 17 for olfaction. In agreement with global MCID, 257 NPs (91%) and 149 SPITs (65%) showed clinical improvement. CONCLUSION: MCID helps assess response to treatment. In the DyNaChron questionnaire, MCIDs enable global and symptom-specific assessment of chronic nasal dysfunction and its impact on quality of life in a single patient or in groups.

[The efficacy and safety of glucocorticoid stent implantation compared with oral glucocorticoid during perioperative period in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps].

Objective:To compare the perioperative efficacy and safety of postoperative oral glucocorticoid and glucocorticoid stent implantation in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps（CRSwNP） undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery（FESS）. Methods:Sixty patients with bilateral CRSwNP with similar degree of lesions were selected and divided into three groups: conventional surgical treatment group（20 cases）, glucocorticoid stent group（20 cases）, and oral glucocorticoid group（20 cases）. All three groups underwent routine FESS, patients in the sinus glucocorticoid stent group receiving sinus glucocorticoid stent placed in the ethmoid sinuses（one on each side） during surgery, and patients in the oral glucocorticoid group received postoperative oral methylprednisolone at a dose of 0.4 mg/kg per day for 7 days, followed by a tapering of 8 mg per week to 8 mg followed by maintenance therapy for 1 week, for a total of 3-4 weeks. Visual analog scale（VAS） scores were used to evaluate nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, olfaction, and facial pressure symptoms before surgery, as well as at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery. Nasal endoscopic Lund-Kennedy scores were recorded, and adverse reactions such as stent detachment, stent-related allergic reactions, sleep disorders, edema, gastrointestinal symptoms, rash/acne, behavioral/cognitive changes, weight gain, limb pain, and infection risk were documented. Results:The nasal congestion symptom scores at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery were significantly lower than those before operationin all three groups, and the differences were statistically significant（P<0.05）. The sinus glucocorticoid stent group exhibited significantly lower nasal congestion symptom scores at 4 and 8 weeks after surgery compared to the conventional surgical treatment group. The rhinorrhea symptom scores at 2, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery were significantly lower than preoperative scores in all three groups. Additionally, the sinus glucocorticoid stent group had significantly lower rhinorrhea scores than the conventional surgical treatment group at 2 weeks postoperatively. Concerning olfaction, the sinus glucocorticoid stent group showed a significant reduction in scores at 12 weeks postoperatively, while the oral glucocorticoid group exhibited significant improvement starting from 8 weeks after surgery. There were no statistically significant differences in nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, facial pressure, and olfaction scores between the sinus glucocorticoid stent and oral glucocorticoid groups at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively. Nasal endoscopy scores revealed lower polyp scores and edema at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively for all three groups compared to preoperative scores. The conventional surgical treatment group exhibited a significant reduction in nasal secretion scores starting from 8 weeks after surgery, while both the sinus glucocorticoid stent and oral glucocorticoid groups showed significant reductions starting from 2 weeks postoperatively, with scores significantly lower than those of the conventional surgical treatment group at 2 weeks. Scab/scar scores in the conventional surgical treatment group significantly decreased from 8 weeks after surgery, while both the sinus glucocorticoid stent and oral glucocorticoid groups exhibited significant reductions starting from 4 weeks. No statistically significant differences were observed in endoscopy scores（including polyps, edema, nasal secretion, scars, and scabs） between the sinus glucocorticoid stent and oral glucocorticoid groups at 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks postoperatively. Regarding adverse reactions, no postoperative complications related to sinus glucocorticoid stent were observed in the sinus glucocorticoid stent group. In the oral glucocorticoid group,1 patient experienced irritability, and 1 patient experienced weight gain. Conclusion:The glucocorticoid stent implantation has comparable effects to oral glucocorticoid in improving postoperative nasal symptoms, reducing nasal mucosal edema, scar formation, and nasal secretion in patients with CRSwNP undergoing FESS, with a better safety profile.

Effect of Endoscopic Posterior Nasal Neurectomy on Laryngectomy-associated Rhinorrhea: A Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Refractory rhinorrhea is common after total laryngectomy (TL). Because botulinum toxin injection and ipratropium bromide nasal spray have shown success in it, suggesting a hyperactive parasympathetic tone may play a role. Therefore, we sought to evaluate whether endoscopic posterior nasal neurectomy (ePNN) to include more nasal secretomotor fibers is a treatment option for laryngectomy-associated rhinorrhea. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Laryngectomized patients with persistent rhinorrhea who underwent ePNN at both the middle and inferior meatus were enrolled. We evaluated the changes in 2-week Total Nasal Symptoms Score (TNSS) and rhinorrhea subscore over 6 and 12 months post ePNN treatment, as well as self-rated rhinorrhea using the visual analogue scale (VAS) at pretreatment and 12 months post-treatment. Adverse events, post-procedure medication reliance, and patient satisfaction were recorded. RESULTS: Five males (mean age, 62.4 years) with elapsed time from TL of 97.56±89.91 months were identified. ePNN significantly improved the average rhinorrhea subscore of TNSS at six months (p=0.037, Wilcoxon sign-rank test) and twelve months (p=0.047) compared to baseline. There were marginally significant improvements between baseline and at 12 months for overall TNSS (6.60±2.30 to 2.00±1.22, p=0.056) and VAS for rhinorrhea (7.80±0.84 to 2.00±1.58, p=0.062). No adverse event was reported, and four patients had excellent outcomes. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic posterior nasal neurectomy is a safe and efficient alternative treatment for laryngectomy-associated rhinorrhea, with lasting improvement over one year. However, a large-scale study with more comprehensive measurements is needed to verify its long-term efficacy.

Clinical Characteristics and Risk Factors for Allergic Rhinitis in Children with Epistaxis.

Background: Epistaxis is frequently observed in children with allergic rhinitis. However, few studies have addressed the clinical characteristics and risk factors for allergic rhinitis in children with epistaxis. This study aimed to describe the factors associated with allergic rhinitis in children with epistaxis. Methods: In total, we recruited 80 children (aged 3-14 years) who presented with epistaxis at a tertiary hospital between January 2014 and January 2022. The follow-up duration was at least 3 months, and we performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify the risk factors for allergic rhinitis. Results: Among the 80 children examined, 57 (71.25%) had allergic rhinitis. Epistaxis mainly occurred in autumn in children with allergic rhinitis; in contrast, it mostly occurred in summer in children without it (P = 0.029). Mites are common allergens for allergic rhinitis in children with epistaxis; the univariate analysis revealed significant differences between allergic-rhinitis group and nonallergic-rhinitis group in the number of allergens (P < 0.001) and total IgE (P < 0.001). The difference in severity of nasal symptoms between the two groups was statistically significant and included nasal obstruction (P < 0.001), rhinorrhea (P < 0.001), sneezing (P < 0.001), and nasal itching (P < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, the severity of rhinorrhea symptoms was found to be associated with an increased risk of allergic rhinitis in children with epistaxis (odds ratio: 3.86; 95% confidence interval: 1.61-9.26; P = 0.003). Conclusions: Observing the onset season, number of allergens, total IgE, and nasal symptoms in cases of epistaxis could suggest the presence of associated allergic rhinitis and reduce the number of missed diagnoses; antiallergic drugs could help control epistaxis in these cases.

[Application and exploration of small dose omalizumab in patients with recurrent eosinophilic sinusitis after extended sinus surgery].

Objective: To explore the short-term efficacy of small dose omalizumab in refractory sinusitis with eosinophilia after extended sinus surgery. Methods: A total of 24 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis and remained poorly controlled after multiple surgical treatments were included in this study. These patients were admitted to Hunan People's Hospital between January 2020 and June 2022, and comprised 13 males and 11 females with an average age of (46.43±13.74) years. The patients were randomly divided into experimental group (12 cases) and control group (12 cases), both of which underwent extended sinus opening surgery. The experimental group received a small dose of omalizumab (150 mg/month) for 4 months, while no omalizumab was applied in the control group. All patients were followed up monthly, subjective and objective symptom scores were collected and compared between groups, which included visual analogue scale (VAS) score, sino-nasal outcome test (SNOT)-22 score, Lund-Mackay score, and Lund-Kennedy score. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 24.0 software. Results: The baseline was set at 1 month after surgery. There was no significant difference in baseline clinical characteristics between the two groups. After 4 months of treatment with omalizumab, the experimental group showed significant improvements in VAS scores for nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, hyposmia, SNOT-22 score, and Lund-Kennedy score (3.11±1.05 vs 6.44±1.13, 2.00±0.87 vs 6.55±1.33, 2.22±0.67 vs 7.00±1.22, 4.44±0.88 vs 15.22±1.20, 1.67±1.00 vs 7.44±0.88, respectively, all P<0.001). Compared to the control group at 4 months after baseline, the experimental group had significantly lower scores for nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, hyposmia, SNOT-22, and Lund-Kennedy (3.11±1.05 vs 7.11±1.17, 2.00±0.87 vs 7.67±1.41, 2.22±0.67 vs 7.56±0.88, 4.44±0.88 vs 15.33±2.34, 1.67±1.00 vs 9.00±1.41, respectively, all P<0.001). During a 2-month follow-up period after drug withdrawal, the VAS, SNOT-22, and Lund-Kennedy scores of the experimental group were slightly higher than those before drug withdrawal but showed no significant difference (3.44±1.33 vs 3.11±1.05, 2.22±1.09 vs 2.00±0.86, 2.55±0.88 vs 2.22±0.66, 4.77±0.97 vs 4.44±0.88, 2.11±1.05 vs 1.67±1.00, respectively, all P>0.05). Conclusion: For patients of refractory sinusitis with eosinophilia, a combination of extended sinus surgery and postoperative small dosage of omalizumab can effectively control mucous inflammation, promote mucosal epithelization, and play an important role in the critical early stage of disease recovery.

Nasal discharge: A unique enhanced alternative for the detection of respiratory pathogens in adults.

Upper respiratory tract infections are a significant cause of social- and disease burden worldwide. Currently, invasive and uncomfortable molecular detection methods are used for respiratory pathogen detection. We aimed to assess the ability and bearability of a rhinorrhea swab (RS) to detect respiratory pathogens in comparison to the combined nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swab (NP/OP). This study was performed at a Public Health Service severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing facility between November and December 2022 in the Netherlands. Adults aged 16 years and older, being subjected to a standard of care NP/OP swab with nasal discharge, were included and received an additional RS. Respiratory pathogen detection was evaluated using SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) PCR. Bearability was evaluated using visual analog scale (VAS) scores and a questionnaire. A total of 100 adults with a mean age ± SD of 46 ± 16 years were included. The NP/OP swab detected 104 pathogens, the RS 83 pathogens (p < 0.001), and in total 108 respiratory pathogens were identified in 89 adults (89%). The ability to detect respiratory pathogens compared between the RS and the combined NP/OP swab revealed a sensitivity of 82% (95% CI 73%-89%) and specificity of 100% (95% CI 72%-100%). RS were significantly more bearable than the combined NP/OP swab (p value < 0.001). Therefore, nasal discharge found in adults can be used as an adequate reliable medium for respiratory pathogen detection using SARS-CoV-2 PCR and MLPA PCR.