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Background:
We often encounter
persistent allergic
rhinitis due to
house dust mites in
the practice of
otolaryngology, and
its prevalence in
Japan is high (18.7
%). Persistent
allergic rhinitis is
usually treated with
antihistamines and
local steroids, but
they often cause
adverse effects such
as sedation and
drowsiness.
Polyphenols derived
from apples have
been reported to
suppress histamine
release from rat
cells, reduce
auricular swelling
in allergic mice,
and alleviate skin
inflammation in
atopic patients.
These effects
suggest that apple
polyphenols are
effective for the
treatment of various
allergic disorders,
but the results of
their clinical use
have not been
reported.
Objective: To
assess the effect of
drinks containing
apple polyphenols on
clinical symptoms of
persistent allergic
rhinitis.
Methods:
Thirty-three
patients aged 15 to
65 years with
moderate or severe
persistent allergic
rhinitis in whom the
symptoms persisted
for 3 years or
longer were treated
without apple
polyphenols (control
group), with a low
dose of apple
polyphenols, or with
a high dose of apple
polyphenols, and
changes in the
clinical symptoms
were examined.
Results:
Significant
improvements were
observed in sneezing
attacks (P < .05)
and nasal discharge
(P < .01) in the
high-dose group and
in sneezing attacks
(P < .05) in the low-dose
group. Compared with
the control group,
an improvement was
observed in sneezing
attacks and nasal
discharge in many
patients of the
polyphenol-treated
groups. In terms of
intranasal findings,
a significant
improvement was
observed in swelling
of the nasal
turbinate in the low-dose
group (P < .05). The
percentage of
patients who showed
an improvement in
swelling of the
nasal turbinate was
higher in the
polyphenol-treated
groups.
Conclusions:
We conclude that
apple polyphenols
are effective in
alleviating symptoms
of persistent
allergic rhinitis.
Key words:
Apple polyphenols.
Nasal allergy.
Sneezing attack.
Nasal discharge.
Human clinical trial. |
