Steroid Spray Held to Alleviate Hay Fever

BOSTON â€”  Prescription nasal sprays containing a steroid appear able to prevent much of the sniffling, sneezing and stuffiness that millions of Americans suffer annually from severe hay fever, doctors reported Wednesday.

“I think it’s a wonderful treatment,� said Dr. Robert M. Naclerio, who headed the research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore.

He reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that one type of steroid spray sharply reduced symptoms in 13 allergy patients.

“If you are allergic to ragweed or whatever every year, you could start this the week before and prevent any problems from the exposure,� Naclerio said.

The sprays have been available in the United States for several years by prescription to help alleviate hay fever symptoms. The study is the first to examine whether the sprays could prevent symptoms, he said.

Different Type of Steroid

The spray used in the study contained flunisolide, a type of steroid known as a glucocorticosteroid. That type of steroid differs from those--such as anabolic steroids used by body builders--associated with toxic side effects.

An estimated 15% of Americans suffer from hay fever. A variety of types of plant pollens prompt an allergic reaction in their noses, causing irritating sneezes, congestion and runny noses.

Only about half of those affected experience symptoms severe enough that they see a doctor, Naclerio said. Those patients who do not benefit from decongestants and antihistamines could benefit from the sprays, he said.

“If you have the kind of disease where every spring you know that when you look out the window and such and such is blooming you know you’re going to start, then you’re better off starting with these sprays ahead of time,� he said.

Use Throughout Season

Patients would have to use the spray throughout the allergy season under a doctor’s supervision, Naclerio said.

For the study, half of the allergy sufferers used the steroid spray and the other half used a spray containing an inactive substance twice a day for a week. They were then exposed to whatever triggered their allergic reactions. In the second phase of the study, the two groups switched sprays.

When the researchers evaluated the responses, they found that the subjects’ symptoms significantly decreased after they used the steroid sprays.

Although some subjects in the study experienced stinging sensations and other irritation in the nose, no serious side effects were reported, Naclerio said.

The researchers are uncertain how the spray works. But they believe that it may interfere with a type of cell known as a mast cell, which increases in number during an allergic reaction and contributes to the irritation.