THE EFFICACY AND TOLERABILITY OF FLUTICASONE PROPIONATE AQUEOUS NASALSPRAY IN CHILDREN WITH SEASONAL ALLERGIC RHINITIS

Fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray (FPANS) contains fluticason e propionate, which is a new topically active glucocorticoid with appr oximately twice the potency of beclomethasone dipropionate. In this Eu ropean multicentre study, 143 children with seasonal allergic rhinitis were recruited: 47 received FPANS 100 mu g once a day (od), 46 receiv ed FPANS 200 mu g od, and 50 patients received placebo od, for 4 weeks . Treatment efficacy was assessed using diary card nasal symptom score s for sneezing, rhinorrhoea, blockage and itching, and eye watering/ir ritation. Patients receiving FPANS 100 mu g or FPANS 200 mu g demonstr ated statistically significant improvements in median nasal symptom sc ores in all the symptoms recorded, when compared with placebo. There w ere no statistically significant differences between the FPANS 100 mu g and FPANS 200 mu g groups in improvement in nasal symptom scores. Th ere was no effect on eye watering/irritation symptoms which could be a ttributed to either FPANS 100 mu g or FPANS 200 mu g when compared wit h placebo. Use of rescue antihistamine medication was significantly re duced in the FPANS 100 mu g group when compared with placebo. The adve rse events profile was similar in all three treatment groups, and the events reported were generally mild and related to the patients' rhini tis.