Carbon dioxide Provides Allergy Relief ?

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MIAMI BEACH, FL - Gas pumped into the nose provides significant relief from the nasal symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis for up to 24 hours, researchers reported here. The gas is carbon dioxide.

Carbon dioxide delivered intranasally so that it flows into one nostril, through the sinus cavity, and out the other nostril significantly improves total nasal symptom scores in about 10 minutes, and the relief lasts for more than 24 hours, reported Thomas B. Casale, M.D., and colleagues of Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha.

"The treatment activates the trigeminal nerve and it inhibits release of a chemical called CGRP [calcitonin gene-related peptide], and that's implicated in migraines, allergic rhinitis, and in late-allergic reactions in the airways," said co-author F. Tony Romero, M.S., in an interview at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology meeting.

"Calcitonin gene-related peptide causes vasodilation and glandular secretion, potentially contributing to nasal symptoms and rhinorrhea seen with allergic rhinitis," the investigators said.

The patients were adults between the ages of 18 and 75 with at least a two-year history of medicated seasonal allergic rhinitis and a positive skin prick test to seasonal grass or mold allergens. Patients were excluded if they had asthma (other than mild intermittent), were on concomitant medications, had significant nasal disorders, an upper respiratory tract infection within 14 days, or rhinitis medicamentosa.

The investigators found that carbon dioxide significantly improved total nasal symptoms scores compared with a placebo.

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