[Pathologic conditions associated with drug-induced rhinitis]

Rhinitis medicamentosa ("nose-drop-nose") is a term used for pathological condition of the nasal mucous membrane that results from long-term abuse with intranasal vasoconstrictors. The aim of this work was to examine what lead the patients with nosedropnose rhinitis to the initial usage of intranasal vasoactive drugs. In this prospective study, 92 patients with rhinitis medicamentosa were included. The evaluation of all study subjects comprised the history, ORL, microbiological and radiological examination, skin prick tests with a battery of routine respiratory and nutritive allergens and nasal cytology. The results of this study showed that the pathological conditions for initial use of intranasal vasoactive drugs were: acute upper respiratory infections in 29.3%, vasomotor rhinitis in 21.7%, allergic rhinitis in 16.3%, deviated nasal septum in 13.0%, nasal polyposis in 12%, rhinitis induced by mechanical trauma in 4.4%, and hormonal rhinitis in 3.3% of patients with rhinitis medicamentosa. In conclusion, the most common pathological conditions for developing rhinitis medicamentosa were chronic inflammatory and structural diseases manifested by permanent nasal obstruction as well as acute upper respiratory infections are.