الفهرس 
Allergic RhinitisOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Allergic rhinitis is a global health problem that increasing in prevalence at an alarming rate. Data suggests that AR is the most common chronic disorder in the pediatric population with up to 40% of children affected. Allergic rhinitis is also a social problem that negatively affects the patients’ quality of life, performance and productivity, and thus, it is accepted as a major chronic re¬spiratory disease with economic burdens and risks for asth¬ma. AR is often associated with co-morbidities, asthma being one of the most common. Other co-morbidities such as sinusitis, conjunctivitis, eczema, Eustachian tube dysfunction and otitis media. AR also affects the quality of sleep in children and frequently leads to day-time fatigue which significantly hampers the process of learning and school performance.
There are several different therapy strategies for allergic rhinitis. Pharmacotherapy plays an important role by reducing the symptoms of AR. However, in some patients, symptoms cannot be reduced with only medical treatment or medical treatment can be restricted due to its side effects which cause the children to resist therapy. Alternative modalities are necessary for such patients. In developing countries, the moderate cost and relatively few side effects of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) modalities are a great request particularly in chronic diseases which necessitate lifelong medical control. Homeopathy is one of the leading complementary modalities used to treat this health problem, Homeopathic treatment is individualized, whereby two or more people with the same diagnosis may be given different medicines, depending on the specific symptoms of illness in each person. Several clinical trials, many of which were published in ”high impact” conventional medical journals, describe significant effects of homeopathic treatment in allergic patients. Most of these clinical studies have been deemed to be high quality trials
The current study was designed to test the effectiveness of homeopathy ,as a complementary modality, as adjuvant therapy in treatment of allergic rhinitis in children.
A prospective, observational, longitudinal study was conducted in complementary medicine outpatient clinic at National Research Center (NRC), Patients were diagnosed and referred to us from ENT outpatient clinic of Al-Azhar university. A total of 30 patients with allergic rhinitis, who met the inclusion criteria, had +ve nasal smear eosinophilia and completed the follow up period were enrolled and further analyzed. Patients were between 6 and 12 years, the mean age of patients was (8.30±2.322). Children who received a complementary treatment e g. : acupuncture … within the previous 2 weeks were excluded, as well children who were suffering from: acute respiratory infection, systemic disease , congenital anomalies and surgical problems e g. : nasal septal deviation.
After obtaining written informed consent and demographic data, detailed medical history, general examination and local examination. Nasal smear eosinophils were taken from all patients with Assessment of severity of illness by: Pediatric Rhinoconjuntivitis Quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) and allergic rhinitis symptoms score, these outcome measures was done at baseline and after 3 months of treatment.
Each patient received a homeopathic remedy that most closely matches his symptoms picture with course of follow- up over 3 months.
In the present study, it was found that homeopathic treatment lead to statistically significant improvement in all parameters of Pediatric Rhinoconjuntivitis Quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) after 3 months of homeopathic treatment, the mean was 4.44±1.3 at baseline, After 3 months of treatment , the mean had fallen to 2.10±1.66 (P<0.001) with mean reduction percent 52.7 %.
Also, statistically significant improvement in all parameters of Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms Score .The average ARSS at baseline was 2.32±0.607, after treatment it became 1.14±1.05 (P<0.001) and The mean overall total symptoms score decreased significantly from 9.23±2.07 to 5.57±4.07 (P<0.001), with mean reduction percent 50.48 %. Also, significant reduction in number of patients with positive nasal smear eosinophils from 100% at baseline to 43.3% after homeopathic treatment. And significant reduction in average number of medications from 3.9 before homeopathic treatment to 2 after 3 months of treatment (P<0.001).