Twenty cases of perennial and seasonal allergic rhinitis treated with LumiMed® Nasal Device

Abstract

BackgroundAllergic rhinitis is the most common allergic disease, with a prevalence up to 40% in the general population. Allergic rhinitis requires daily treatment to block inflammatory mediators and suppress the inflammatory response. However, these medications may have harmful side effects. Photobiomodulation as a treatment modality to reduce inflammation has been beneficial in many chronic disorders, yet therapy has not been US Food and Drug Administration approved for the treatment of allergic rhinitis. The LumiMed Nasal Device was designed to address the limitations associated with the treatment of allergic rhinitis with photobiomodulation. This in-office study hopes to show efficacy, usability, and comfortability of the LumiMed Nasal Device.Case presentationTwenty patients with allergic rhinitis were treated during high allergy season with LumiMed Nasal Device. The average age of patients was 35 years (10–75); 11 were female and 9 were male. The population’s ethnicities were white (n = 11), Black (n = 6), Oriental (n = 2), and Iranian (n = 1). Patients were treated with twice-daily dosing, 10 seconds in each nostril, for 10 consecutive days. After 10 days, patients were evaluated for symptom relief, device comfort and device ease of use. The Total Nasal Symptom Score was used to assess severity of main symptoms of allergic rhinitis. The sum of Total Nasal Symptom Scores for each symptom category was calculated (total possible scores per patient were 0–9). Rhinorrhea/nasal secretions, nasal congestion, and nasal itching/sneezing were evaluated on a scale of 0–3 (0 no symptoms, 1 mild symptoms, 2 moderate symptoms, 3 severe symptoms). Device comfort was evaluated on a scale of 0–3 (0 no discomfort, 1 mild discomfort, 2 moderate discomfort, 3 severe discomfort). Device ease of use was evaluated on a scale of 0–3 (0 very easy, 1 somewhat difficult, 2 difficult, 3 very difficult).ConclusionsThe results from these case studies indicated that of the 20 patients in this case study, 100% of patients experienced improvement in overall Total Nasal Symptom Score after using LumiMed Nasal Device. Of those patients, 40% brought their Total Nasal Symptom Score down to 0. Furthermore, 95% felt the LumiMed Nasal Device was comfortable to use, while 85% of patients felt the LumiMed Nasal Device was easy to use.