Astemizole and Cetirizine in the Treatment of Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis: A Comparative Double-Blind, Multicentre Study

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Abstract
In a double-blind, multicentre trial, 105 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis were treated with 10 mg astemizole or 10 mg cetirizine once daily for 4 days. Patients were thereafter allowed to change their treatment if not satisfied with the clinical efficacy. In the cetirizine-treated group, there were significantly fewer ( P = 0.02) patients who asked to change their treatment compared to patients receiving astemizole for 4 days. At day 4, there was a significant improvement in the clinical scores for the patients who did not want to change treatment but scores were hardly altered in those patients that wished to change. After treatment for a further 10 days, there was a decrease in all the scored symptoms but this was less marked in the two groups of patients who wanted to change treatment.