Nasal congestion secondary to allergic rhinitis as a cause of sleep disturbance and daytime fatigue and the response to topical nasal corticosteroids

Pediatric allergic rhinitis and comorbid disorders

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is rarely found in isolation and needs to be considered in the context of systemic allergic disease associated with numerous comorbid disorders, including asthma, chronic middle ear effusions, sinusitis, lymphoid hypertrophy with obstructive sleep apnea, disordered sleep, and consequent behavioral and educational effects. The coexistence of AR and asthma is complex. First, the diagnosis of asthma may be confounded by symptoms of cough caused by rhinitis and postnasal drip. This may lead to either inaccurate diagnosis of asthma or inappropriate assessment of asthma severity with over treatment of the patient. The term "cough variant rhinitis" is therefore proposed to describe rhinitis that manifests itself primarily as cough that results from postnasal drip. AR, however, also has a causal role in asthma; it appears both to be responsible for exacerbating asthma and to have a role in its pathogenesis. Postnasal drip with nasopharyngeal inflammation leads to a number of other conditions. Thus sinusitis is a frequent extension of rhinitis and is one of the most frequently missed diagnoses in children. Allergen exposure in the nasopharynx with release of histamine and other mediators can cause Eustachian tube obstruction possibly leading to middle ear effusions. Chronic allergic inflammation of the upper airway causes lymphoid hypertrophy with prominence of adenoidal and tonsillar tissue. This may be associated with poor appetite, poor growth, and obstructive sleep apnea. AR is therefore part of a spectrum of allergic disorders that can profoundly affect the well being and quality of life of a child. Prospective cohort studies are required to assess the disease burden caused by AR in childhood and to further assess the potential educational impairment that may result. Because AR is part of a systemic disease process, its management requires a coordinated approach rather than a fragmented, organ-based approach.

Quality of life in adults and children with allergic rhinitis

Quality of life, when referring to an individual's health, is called health-related quality of life (HRQL). HRQL focuses on patients' perceptions of their disease and measures impairments that have significant impact on the patient. Similar symptoms may vary in their effect on different individuals; the goal of therapy should be to reduce impairments that patients consider important. HRQL can be measured with generic or specific questionnaires. Specific questionnaires may be more sensitive and are much more likely to detect clinically important changes in patients' impairments. Specific questionnaires used to assess HRQL in rhinitis are the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Adolescent Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Pediatric Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire. HRQL issues in adult rhinitis patients include fatigue, decrease in energy, general health perception, and social function; impairment of HQRL generally increases with increasing degree of symptoms and severity of disease. In children, HRQL issues include learning impairment, inability to integrate with peers, anxiety, and family dysfunction. Comorbid disorders often associated with rhinitis, including sinusitis, otitis media, and frequent respiratory infections, can further compromise HRQL. Pharmacologic treatments can have both positive and negative effects on HRQL. Agents that have troublesome adverse effects such as sedation can have a negative impact, whereas nonsedating antihistamines and intranasal cortico-steroids can significantly improve HRQL in patients of all ages with rhinitis.

Nasal Congestion: A Review of its Etiology, Evaluation, and Treatment

The most common clinical syndromes that cause nasal congestion are allergic rhinitis, vasomotor rhinitis, chronic sinusitis, and upper respiratory viral infections (common colds). Nasal congestion, in turn, can lead to sequelae such as sinusitis, otitis media, and the onset or worsening of mild to severe sleep disturbances, including obstructive sleep apnea. There is a host of conservative treatments, including decongestant pharmacotherapy, antiallergy measures, and nasal dilation devices. Several surgical procedures are also available. This article reviews the current guidelines for the workup and diagnosis of nasal congestion and briefly describes the many and varied approaches to treatment.

Effect of topical nasal azelastine on the symptoms of rhinitis, sleep, and daytime somnolence in perennial allergic rhinitis

BACKGROUND

Recent data suggested that daytime somnolence in patients with allergic rhinitis was secondary to disrupted sleep caused by nasal congestion. Medications, which decreased congestion, would be expected to improve sleep and daytime somnolence. Previously, we demonstrated that nasal steroids improved all three symptoms. The effect of topical nasal antihistamines on these symptoms has yet to be studied.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was to determine whether topical nasal azelastine was effective at decreasing congestion, daytime somnolence, and improving sleep.

METHODS

We recruited 24 subjects with perennial allergic rhinitis and randomized them in a double-blinded, crossover fashion, to receive placebo or azelastine two sprays BID, using Balaam's design. Questionnaires, daily diary, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale were used as tools. The last 2 weeks of each 4-week treatment period were summarized, scored, and compared by PROC MIXED in SAS.

RESULTS

The analysis of the Rhinitis Severity Score showed significant improvement only of rhinorrhea in the azelastine group (P = .03). The symptom severity of nasal congestion and daytime somnolence was not significantly different between placebo and azelastine. Subjects considered azelastine effective at improving their sleep (P = .04), but daytime somnolence (P = .06) and congestion (P = .09) were not statistically improved.

CONCLUSION

Azelastine is effective in reducing rhinorrhea and improving sleep quality. We were unable to demonstrate that azelastine can significantly reduce the severity of congestion or daytime somnolence.

Neuropsychological outcomes of nocturnal asthma

In spite of frequent reports that nocturnal asthma results in fatigue and impaired cognitive performance, there exists little objective evidence as to the daytime consequences of this disorder. Treatment studies have established that the symptoms of nocturnal asthma improve with medication intervention, but performance does not. Studies of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a source of generally more severe sleep fragmentation, have demonstrated that measurement of sleep-deprivation effects is limited to tasks requiring heightened alertness and rapid information processing, and that the degree of score change is related to the degree of sleep disruption. Studies of normal, but sleep-deprived, subjects indicate that (1) utilization of repetitive measures sustained for long duration can potentiate motivation to overcome the effects of fatigue in the laboratory, and (2) even when average scores do not change significantly, performance becomes more irregular. These collective findings about the measurement of performance impairment secondary to sleep deprivation can be used to guide new studies of nocturnal asthma. Finally, children must be included in future investigations because they may be at even greater risk for daytime consequences of nocturnal asthma than adults.