Capsaicin nasal spray effective for mixed rhinitis patients

(HealthDay)—Capsaicin nasal spray is effective for mixed rhinitis (MR) patients, who have more than one major etiologic factor involved in the mucosal pathology, according to a study published online July 16 in Allergy.

Laura Van Gerven, M.D., from University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium, and colleagues examined the efficacy of capsaicin nasal spray in MR patients. They compared the efficacy for 28 strictly selected idiopathic rhinitis (IR) patients who were included in a trial and 24 IR patients who did not meet inclusion criteria (MR patients). All patients were treated with capsaicin 0.1 mM nasal spray; the therapeutic response was assessed at 12 weeks after treatment.

The researchers found that the distribution of patients with a reduction of symptoms was less favorable for the MR versus IR population. The percentage of patients with a therapeutic response was 68 and 79 percent, respectively, for the MR and IR patients, which was not statistically significantly different. A major symptom reduction was reported by 32 percent of MR patients. The presence of nasal hyperreactivity (NHR) predicted success of treatment; MR patients with self-reported NHR had significantly better therapeutic response evaluations than those with no NHR (P = 0.039).

"In conclusion, the capsaicin nasal spray is effective in a broader group of IR than the purely selected ones described before," the authors write.