Effectiveness of azelastine nasal spray in the treatment of adenoidal hyper-trophy in children.

AIM To evaluate the effects of topical azelastine treatment on symptoms related to adenoid hypertrophy and the size of adenoid tissue in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS In total, 60 children who were found to have adenoid hypertrophy were included. A questionnaire on nasal symptoms, nasal endoscopy and skin prick tests was administered to all patients. All patients had complaints of chronic nasal obstruction symptoms and nasal endoscopy showed > 75% choanal obstruction, attributable to adenoid pads. The adenoid/nasopharyngeal areas were calculated. All of the patients underwent azelastine nasal spray therapy (1 spray per nostril, twice daily; 0.28 mg/dose) for 30 days. After 1 month, all children were reassessed. The efficacy of therapy, symptoms, adenoid / nasopharynx ratio, and obstruction ratio, obtained by endoscopy, were compared. RESULTS Azelastine treatment was well tolerated by all patients. After the first treatment period, the severity of symptoms, endoscopic grade, and adenoid size decreased in all of the 60 patients. There were significant improvements in total subjective symptoms (nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, cough, snoring, and obstructive sleep apnea) post-treatment. CONCLUSIONS Azelastine nasal spray may be useful in decreasing adenoid pad size and the severity of symptoms related to adenoidal hypertrophy. Hippokratia 2014; 18 (4): 340-345.