Desloratadine and pseudoephedrine combination therapy as a comprehensive treatment for allergic rhinitis and nasal congestion.

摘要

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is rapidly increasing in global prevalence. Symptoms of AR, particularly nasal congestion, can cause quality of life (QoL) impairment. Second-generation antihistamines are a recommended first-line therapy for AR but are not viewed as very effective for the treatment of congestion. Therefore, an antihistamine plus a decongestant, such as the combination of desloratadine and pseudoephedrine, is a convenient and efficacious treatment. OBJECTIVE: To review the clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of combination desloratadine/pseudoephedrine for the treatment of AR symptoms, particularly nasal congestion. RESULTS: Four large studies found that improvement in nasal congestion is enhanced when patients are treated with combination desloratadine/pseudoephedrine. The combination drug significantly improved mean reflective nasal congestion scores in these studies compared with either component as monotherapy (p