Epinastine Hydrochloride for Pediatric Allergic Rhinitis

Abstract

Objective: 1) Prospectively evaluate the effectiveness of epinastine hydrochloride (EH) for pediatric outpatients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) symptoms caused by allergic rhinitis (AR); 2) Assess the quality of life (QOL) of those children prior to and following treatment with oral EH. Method: Pediatric AR outpatients (19; boys, 9; girls, 10; average age, 5.6 years [SD = 1. 4]) with SDB symptoms were recruited. They were all treated with oral EH for 4 weeks. Before and after the 4-week treatment period, the otolaryngological findings and OSA-18 scores were collected for each participant. Results: Epinastine hydrochloride significantly improved the swelling of the inferior nasal turbinate mucosa and decreased the quantity of nasal discharge. The initial total mean OSA-18 score was 58.5, whereas the total score reduced to 22.8 after oral epinastine hydrochloride treatment. Conclusion: Epinastine hydrochloride therapy demonstrated positive clinical effects on both nasal findings and the QOL of pediatric outpatients with symptoms of SDB caused by allergic rhinitis. Epinastine hydrochloride therapy may improve nasal findings and QOL in pediatric outpatients with SDB symptoms.