Comparison of mizolastine with loratadine in the treatment of perennial allergic rhinitis.

Mizolastine is a new, non-sedating antihistamine providing satisfactory symptomatic relief in seasonal allergic rhinitis. The purpose of this study has been to compare mizolastine to loratadine in perennial allergic rhinitis. This multicentre, double-blind study has involved 68 patients, randomly allocated, after a one-week placebo run-in, to 10 mg mizolastine or 10 mg loratadine, both given on a once-daily basis, for four weeks.

Intranasal treatment with lysine acetylsalicylate in patients with nasal polyposis.

Forty-three patients suffering from nasal polyposis underwent intranasal treatment with increasing doses of lysine acetylsalicylate (LAS) corresponding to 20, 200, and 2000 micrograms of aspirin (ASA), until a maximal dose of 2000 micrograms weekly was reached. The patients were divided in two groups: a group of 28 patients with ASA intolerance, including 20 with ASA triad, and a group of 15 patients without ASA intolerance. The local treatment was usually started 1 month after polypectomy and was well tolerated without side effects.

[Topical intranasal cortisone therapy].

Owing to improvements made during the last 15 years in the pathophysiological and pharmacological research, many new corticosteroids have been successfully experimented. They have high activity on the target organ and they are suitable for long term therapies since they have not any systemic and/or local side effects. Nowadays the topical intranasal corticosteroid therapy is indispensable for allergic rhinitis treatment and it is very useful for many nasal and bronchopulmonary diseases (some chronic rhinitis, nasal polyposis, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive bronchopulmonary diseases).

Immunopathology of nasal polyps: an immunohistochemical approach.

We studied the mast cells and the T-lymphocyte subpopulations of four patients' nasal polyps using immunohistochemical procedures. The data showed that MC displayed IL2-receptor and that they were very often closely related to CD4+ and MHC class II-positive T-lymphocytes. CD8-positive T-cells represented only 10% to 15% of the whole lymphoid population and were not localized near mast cells.

[Medical therapy of allergic rhinitis].

In the last few years, owing to new pathophysiological and pharmacological notions, the therapy of allergic rhinitis has achieved some remarkable goals. On the basis of personal experience and of the literature, a close examination of drugs used for aspecific treatment of allergic rhinitis is carried out, mainly regarding the most currently useful and effective.