Efficacy and safety of montelukast add-on therapy in allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis is a common airways hypersensitivity disease. Histamine and leukotrienes are involved in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis. Conventional treatments include topical steroids and antihistamines. Due to the adverse effects of these treatments, new drugs like leukotriene receptor antagonists are being investigated for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. A total of 90 patients suffering from allergic rhinitis were enrolled in this prospective, randomized, controlled study. Patients were divided randomly into three groups of 30 patients each. Group I was administered fluticasone nasal spray (200 μg in each nostril) once a day, Group II was administered fluticasone nasal spray (200 μg in each nostril) plus cetrizine (10 mg) orally once a day and Group III was administered fluticasone nasal spray (200 μg in each nostril) plus montelukast (10 mg) orally once a day. Efficacy was measured based on daytime and nighttime symptom scores. Safety was evaluated on the basis of psychomotor tests, laboratory investigations and subjective assessment. The present study showed that montelukast add-on therapy is as efficacious as conventional therapies in controlling total symptom score, but it is more efficacious in controlling nighttime symptoms. Furthermore, montelukast add-on therapy does not cause psychomotor impairment as observed with cetrizine.