Good asthma management requires appropriate treatment of persistent stuffy nose or “allergic rhinitis,” researchers report in the journal Chest."We must treat rhinitis as part of asthma treatment because we can control asthma with a lower dose of inhaled steroid,” Dr. Rafael Stelmach from University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine, Brazil told Reuters Health.Treating the inflammation associated with allergic rhinitis influences the control of asthma. However, few studies have looked at the effect of treating rhinitis on persistent asthma and vice versa.Stelmach and colleagues evaluated the effects of treatment with inhaled or topical nasal beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP), a steroid, given separately or in combination, on various measures of asthma in 74 patients with mild-to-moderate asthma and allergic rhinitis.Patients in all treatment groups experienced significant improvements in rhinitis and asthma symptoms, the authors report.
