Nasal steroid drops have always been the first choice of treatment for allergic rhinitis. But its safety on long term usage has always been a cause of concern. Here is something to know about.

Team@CMHF

Intranasal corticosteroids (INSs) are the most efficacious medication for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. In 2006, the Joint Task Force of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, published a white paper on the potential over-the-counter switch of INS.

The concern of the paper was the safety of the use of these agents without oversight by a health care professional. The objective of this paper was to review published literature on the safety of INS since the publication of the task force white paper.

Recent studies, which evaluated topical and systemic adverse events associated with ciclesonide (CIC), fluticasone furoate (FF), mometasone furoate (MF), triamcinolone acetonide, fluticasone propionate, budesonide, and beclomethasone dipropionate were summarized. In general, no significant topical or systemic complications were observed in these studies.

The newer formulations of topical corticosteroids for allergic rhinitis, such as CIC, FF, and MF, which have less systemic bioavailability, may be safer for long-term use. New studies continue to add to the reassurance of the safety of INSs in the treatment of allergic rhinitis but still do not answer the question if these agents are appropriate for long-term use without oversight by a health care professional.

Ref: http://www.docguide.com/safety-update-regarding-intranasal-corticosteroids-treatment-allergic-rhinitis?hash=80445d1a&eid=24262&alrhash=2efbb8-880279c42369cc2f8adcb48a6daaf3d2