DRUG-INDUCED RHINITIS: QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Abstract

Drug-induced rhinitis (DIR) develops as a result of long-term use of topical decongestants and different drugs of systemic action. The article presents a review of the literature covering the issues of pathogenesis, clinic, diagnostics and treatment of the disease. It is stressed that currently intranasal glucocorticosteroids are the only drugs effectiveness of which for drug-induced rhinitis is proved in randomized controlled clinical trials. The authors provide observations of the use of mometasone furoate in 16 patients with DIR for 4 weeks at a dosing of 400 mg/day. 12 patients (75%) were able to completely stop taking decongestants to the end of the second week of treatment. In one case there was recurrence of the disease.Topical steroids help to alleviate the patient’s period of withdrawal from topical vasoconstrictor preparations. However, patients should be warned about the possibility of recurrence of DIR in cases of repeated uncontrolled use of decongestants.

Keywords

• drug-induced rhinitis
• mometasone furoate