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Enjoy outdoor season despite hay fever: Modern antihistamines provide fast-acting and long-lasting relief

Published at: Monday, 01. June 2009

The outdoor season started! Nature is in full blossom but for allergy sufferers the onset of the most beautiful time, the spring, signals their worst time of the year. Plagued by sniffling, sneezing or a congested nose, this beautiful season can hardly be described as enjoyable for patients with allergic rhinitis and conjuncticvitis. However, it does not have to be this way: even in spring and summer, the quality of life can be improved with the help of topically applied antihistamines such as Azelastine nasal spray or eye drops. In a recent synopsis (Horak 2008), Professor Friedrich Horak from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University Clinic of Vienna states that the agent only needs to be applied when symptoms actually occur and significantly improves symptoms within a few minutes. Hay fever sufferers don´t have necessarily to avoid outdoor activities such as cycling, jogging or visiting the local swimming baths.

The first release of pollen starts as early as January, but the peak of the pollen season does not usually occur until April, when the spring weather stimulates blossom. The start and peak of the pollen season varies from year to year and from country to country. Allergy sufferers who frequently have to travel to other countries on business are particular affected, being constantly exposed to fluctuating pollen load. It has become increasingly difficult for an allergy sufferer to adequately prepare for a pollen season. Treatments that provide fast-acting relief of acute symptoms are particularly called for. Topically or orally applied antihistamines for the treatment of hay fever (seasonal allergic rhinitis) are deemed the treatment of first choice (Dykewicz et als 1998, Bousquet et als 2001).

According to Horak, a topical treatment with antihistamines has a number of advantages: a nasal spray delivers the agent directly to the site of allergic inflammation, thus achieving higher concentrations of antihistamines and a faster onset of action. There might also be fewer side effects. Comparisons with other agents used to treat allergic rhinitis showed that Azelastine nasal spray shows a fast relief of symptoms, i.e. alleviating symptoms within 15 minutes of application (Baumgarten et als 1994, Greiff et al 1997). Since the effect lasts up to 12 hours, Azelastine nasal spray only has to be taken twice daily (in the morning and evening).

Azelastine is an anti-allergic agent with anti-inflammatory properties and is able to stabilize the mast cells in rhinitis patients (Bernstein 2007, Lee and Corren 2007). Compared to glucocorticoids or cromoglycates, the agent does not have to be taken over a period of days before the expected onset of symptoms and over the whole pollen season, but can be used on an as-needed basis, therefore enabling patients to fight sudden symptoms of allergic rhinitis in a quick and flexible manner.

The free e-mail newsletter AzelastinE-News provides patients with an opportunity to obtain further information on pollen, house dust mites, allergies, treatment options and expert advice. AzelastinE-News is published four times a year and can be subscribed to on the Azelastine internet portal http://www.azelastine.info.

Baumgarten CR et al 1994, J Pharmacol Ther, 3: 43-51
Bernstein JA 2007, Curr Med Res Opin, 23: 2441-52
Bousquet J et al 2001, J Allergy Clin Immunol, 108: S147-S334
Dykewicz MS et al 1998, Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 91:205-11
Greiff L et al 1997, Clin Exp Allergy, 27: 438-44
Horak F 2008, Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management, 4(5) 1009-1022
Lee C, Corren J 2007, Expert Opin Pharmacother, 8: 701-9

Ten good reasons in favour of Azelastine

Azelastine (Allergodil®) is a topically applied H1-histamine receptor antagonist for the treatment of rhinitis.

1. Treatment of first choice: Azelastine is a therapeutic and prophylactic agent for the treatment of nasal symptoms associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis such as nasal congestion, itching and sneezing.
2. Easy to use: one spray per nostril of Azelastine nasal spray twice daily is adequate to alleviate the symptoms such as a runny or congested nose, nasal itching or sneezing.
3. Flexible: Azelastine can be used on an as-needed basis. Treatment needs to be continued only as long as symptoms persist.
4. Fast onset of action: Azelastine nasal spray alleviates symptoms as early as 10 to 12 minutes following application.
5. Long-lasting effect: The effect of Azelastine lasts up to 12 hours.
6. Effective: Azelastine effectively treats seasonal allergic rhinitis and non-allergic vasomotor rhinitis even in patients who normally fail to respond to oral antihistamines.
7. Well tolerated: Azelastine is a topically active nasal spray. Since little of the spray is absorbed into the blood, it is well tolerated and has few side effects.
8. Multiple benefits: Azelastine is an anti-allergic agent with anti-inflammatory properties and is able to stabilize the mast cells.
9. Wide range of application: Patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis or allergic rhinitis that occurs throughout the whole year benefit from a treatment with Azelastine.
10. Improvement of quality of life: A treatment with Azelastine shows a significant improvement in quality of life for many allergic rhinitis sufferers.

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