Anti-pollen cream helps with hay fever
Key points
- A cream that blocks allergic substances from entering the nose seems to reduce symptoms in patients with hay fever, new research shows.
- Alexandre Grigorov, at Humboldt University in Berlin, and colleagues conducted a study involving 91 patients, who were randomly assigned to apply Alergol or an inactive "placebo" cream to the lower nose region four times daily for four days.
- The findings appear in the Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
- Treatment with Alergol greatly reduced the drop in airflow that occurred with exposure to the allergic substances.
A cream that blocks allergic substances from entering the nose seems to reduce symptoms in patients with hay fever, new research shows. The cream, known as Alergol, is applied inside the lower nose where it traps these substances.
Dr. Alexandre Grigorov, at Humboldt University in Berlin, and colleagues conducted a study involving 91 patients, who were randomly assigned to apply Alergol or an inactive "placebo" cream to the lower nose region four times daily for four days. Before and after each treatment, the subjects were exposed to extracts of pollen, house dust and animal dander.
The findings appear in the Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Treatment with Alergol greatly reduced the drop in airflow that occurred with exposure to the allergic substances. In addition, use of this cream produced a marked drop in symptoms. By comparison, the placebo cream had much more modest effects.
"This objective assessment clearly demonstrated that Alergol pollen blocker cream is a safe and effective alternative to the drugs normally prescribed for (hay fever)," Grigorov's team concludes.
SOURCE: Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, August 2004.
Written and revised by
Andrey Nailor, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Infections, HIV & STIs →
NewsAdding blood pressure drug to standard antibiotics speeds up TB treatment
Infectious disease experts at Johns Hopkins have found, in studies in mice, that a drug better known as a treatment for high blood pressure and headaches effectively speeds up treatment of TB when added to the standard,…
30 August 2013
NewsPreventive antibiotics for tuberculosis reduce deaths among people with HIV disease
As part of the largest international research effort ever made to combat tuberculosis, a team of Johns Hopkins and Brazilian experts has found that preventive antibiotic therapy for people with HIV lowers this group's…
17 August 2013
NewsImproved caregiver training helps HIV-infected children
Children born with HIV can live longer and richer lives if their caregivers receive training in ways to enhance the children’s development, according to research led by Michigan State University. The program also…
