Habib Bashir, Mohammad Tariq, Munawar Jamil Khan, Anjum Khawar.
Comparision of efficacy of levocetirizine with montelukast and levocetirizine alone in persistent allergic rhinitis.
Esculapio J Services Inst Med Sci Jan ;9(1):25-9.

Objective: To compare the efficacy of levocetirizine with montelukast and levocetirizine alone in patients with persistent allergic rhinitis in our setup. Material & Methods: Patients with symptoms of AR attending ENT clinic were registered and divided into two groups based on drug given. Patients with odd numbers were included in group A receiving levocetirizine 5mg with montelukast 10mg once daily while patients with even numbers were included in group B receiving only levocetirizine 5mg once daily. Data was collected at visit 1 prior to medication, visit 2 one week after medication and visit 3 two weeks after medication. Medication history review, nasal symptom assessment and anterior rhinoscopy were done at each visit. Patients were evaluated for rhinorrhea, sneezing, nasal itching and nasal obstruction on a scale. Total symptom complex score (TSCS) was calculated by adding scores of all four variables under study using proforma. Lower the score more effective will be the drug. Results: One hundred twenty four patients were included in study; 63 were male and 61 were female. TSCS was 9 -10 in 73.3% patients at visit 1 in levocetirizine + montelukast group that improved to 4-5 in 28.3% and 3- 4 in 65% patients at visit 2 and 3 respectively. Patients receiving levocetirizine alone had TSCS of 9 to 10 in 52.9% at visit 1 with an improvement to 3-4 in 9.4% and 49.1% at visit 2 and visit 3 respectively. Conclusion: Levocetirizine with montelukast is superior to levocetirizine alone in controlling overall symptoms of AR.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com