Hay fever treatment with budesonide and beclomethasone dipropionate twice daily - a clinical comparison

Fifty-two patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis were admitted to a randomized clinical comparison between budesonide (Rhinocort) and beclomethasone dipropionate (Becotide Nasal). All patients were sensitive to birch pollen, which was confirmed by a skin prick test. The drugs were administered intranasally 200 micrograms b.i.d. Symptoms were assessed over four weeks starting with a run-in period of one week. Daily pollen counts were recorded throughout the trial and showed a rather mild birch pollen season. The patients diary cards revealed a beneficial therapeutic effect of the two drugs. No statistically significant differences between the drugs were seen except with regard to sneezing symptoms, where the Rhinocort-treated patients showed less symptoms (p less than 0.05). Side effects were few and transient with both drugs.