Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic allergic rhinitis (CAR) is a highly prevalent condition characterized by nasal symptoms and mouth breathing. The detrimental effects of frequent pharmacologic treatment necessitate a nonpharmacologic treatment approach for patients with CAR. OBJECTIVE: We sought to assess the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and preliminary effects of a nasal rehabilitation program in patients with CAR. METHODS: A pilot study was conducted with 35 patients who underwent a nasal rehabilitation program for 5 weeks. The feasibility of the intervention from patient and therapist perspectives, adherence to the treatment, and occurrence of adverse events was recorded posttreatment. The preliminary effects of the treatment on nasal and mouth-breathing symptoms and disease-specific quality of life were assessed at baseline and after 5 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: An adherence of 92.5% was observed for the treatment. The nasal rehabilitation techniques were feasible for patients and the therapist without any adverse events. The intervention demonstrated significant preliminary effects (P < .05) on the Total Nasal Symptom Score, the Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation, and the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, with a mean improvement of 2.00, 1.06, and 0.94 points, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Nasal rehabilitation intervention is feasible, acceptable, and safe in patients with CAR. The treatment showed positive preliminary effects with reduced nasal symptoms and enhanced disease-specific quality of life among the patients.