Cetirizine reduces cytokines and inflammatory cells in children with perennial allergic rhinitis.

Cetirizine has been demonstrated able of reducing nasal inflammatory infiltration in children with allergic rhinitis and cytokine production in in vitro studies. The aim of this double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomized study was to evaluate cytokine pattern and inflammatory cells in children with perennial allergic rhinitis, before and after treatment with cetirizine or placebo. Twenty children with perennial allergic rhinitis were evaluated, 13 males and 7 females (mean age 13.4 years). Inflammatory cells and cytokines were evaluated by scraping and nasal lavage, before and after 2-weeks administration of cetirizine or placebo. IL4 and IL8 were measured by immunoassay and inflammatory cells were counted by conventional staining. Cetirizine treatment induced a significant decrease of IL4 (p<0.01) and IL8 levels (p=0.01). A significant reduction of the inflammatory cells was detected in actively-treated children, both concerning neutrophils and eosinophils (p<0.01). Moreover, cetirizine significantly reduced nasal obstruction score (p=0.007). This study shows the cetirizine effectiveness in exerting anti-inflammatory activity by modulating cytokine pattern and by reducing inflammatory infiltration in children with perennial allergic rhinitis.