View clinical trials related to Rhinitis.
Filter by:Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the airways in the lungs that results in obstruction of airflow in those with the condition. The disease continues to be a major worldwide health care problem and its prevalence continues to increase annually. In 2005, 20 million people were diagnosed with asthma. The disease causes significant morbidity and accounts for 5,000 deaths annually. Between 1980 and 1994 the prevalence of asthma increased 74% in the United States and, in children under age 5, the prevalence increased by 160%. The allergic etiology of airway inflammation associated with asthma is established. Bronchial washings of asthmatic subjects are most often characterized by eosinophils, mast cells, and cytokines that are associated with the Th2 (allergic) phenotype. Similarly, IgE plays a pivotal role in airway inflammation of asthmatic subjects when allergens that cross-link IgE bound to mast cells in the airways cause the release of histamine and other inflammatory mediators. The association of asthma and the IgE mediated allergic phenotype is well established and up to 70% of asthmatics also suffer from allergic disease. Adequately treated asthma often has minimal impact of quality of life but diagnosis and proper treatment is often delayed, resulting in increased missed school days, emergency room visits, and otherwise preventable degradation in quality of life. It would therefore be highly useful to identify a biomarker that can be used to assist in the diagnosis of asthma or to identify subjects at higher risk of developing allergic disease or asthma in the future. Efforts at identifying a genetic marker for the early diagnosis of asthma have been unsuccessful, mainly due to the complexity of the pathogenesis of the disease. Atrial natriuretic factor is a pro-hormone precursor for 4 natriuretic peptide hormones including atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). ANP's effects on the cardiovascular system are well characterized. Less well understood is the role these hormones play in immune regulation. Recent studies have demonstrated a role for ANP in the regulation of immune function: ANP induces release of histamine from mast cells and macrophages, stimulates migration of neutrophils, enhances the cytotoxic activity of natural killer (NK) cells, and stimulates TNF-β production. Human dendritic cells express ANP receptors (GC-a) which polarize CD4+ cells towards a Th2 phenotype. Since allergic rhinitis and asthma are associated with a Th2 phenotype, it is possible that elevated levels of ANP can be used to predict asthma severity or to predict future predilection to atopic disease. There are a number of ANP gene polymorphisms that have been studied and found to be associated with renal disease, heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. Several studies have investigated the potential role of these polymorphisms in cardiovascular disease and have found association between polymorphisms of the ANP gene and left ventricular remodeling, hypertension, renal disease, diabetes, and increased risk of ischemic stroke. To our knowledge, no studies evaluating the role of ANP polymorphisms in allergic disease have been performed. The goal of this research proposal is to evaluate whether ANP levels can be utilized to assist in diagnosis of asthma and in the prediction of asthma severity. Additionally, we will investigate the potential effect of polymorphisms in the ANP gene on asthma severity and thus serve as a useful genetic marker to predict future risk of atopy and asthma.
This study will evaluate and follow patients with various allergic, hypersensitivity and inflammatory disorders. The protocol is not designed to test new treatments; patients will be managed with standard of care therapies. Participants may be referred to other current NIAID protocols as appropriate or to new studies as they are developed, but will not be required to join another study. Patients with allergic, hypersensitivity or inflammatory disorders between the ages of 3 years and 80 years may be eligible for this study. Conditions of interest include, but are not limited to, asthma, allergic rhinitis, mastocytosis, atopic dermatitis and food allergy. Participants will have a medical history and physical examination, plus standard tests for diagnosing and treating their specific disorder. Tests may include routine blood and urine studies, X-rays or other imaging studies, allergy skin tests and lung function tests. Blood samples may be collected for research on immune system cells and other substances involved in immune function. Generally, about 2 to 6 tablespoons will be drawn at a time, but no more than 16 ounces will be collected over a 6-week period. NIH does not provide emergency medical treatment or treatment for other, unrelated conditions the patient may have. Therefore, patients must maintain a personal physician for these purposes.
This study will hope to show that the treatment of the patient's perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) using Nasonex® (mometasone furoate nasal spray) will result in improvement of the nasal symptoms of PAR and of nighttime sleep-disordered breathing, thereby resulting in improved sleep quality, less daytime sleepiness, improved daytime functioning, and improved quality of life.
The purpose of this study is to find out if a new investigational vaccine, TOLAMBA™, is safe and effective in reducing the symptoms of ragweed allergy.
Tree MATAMPL has been developed to provide pre-seasonal specific immunotherapy for patients with hypersensitivity to Tree (birch, alder, hazel) pollen (hay fever). This novel formulation is designed to provide a vaccine that will be efficacious with only four escalating dose injections administered before the start of the pollen season. In this Study the Efficacy will be assessed by exposing allergic subjects to birch pollen in an environmental exposure chamber EEC. Patient symptomatic response to birch pollen and patient quality of life in the EEC will be determined.
People with allergies frequently complain of a loss or reduction in the sense of smell. In this study, the investigators propose to perform a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled parallel study of subjects with nasal allergies and decreased smell to determine the effect of a treatment for allergies on the sense of smell.
To demonstrate the superiority of the clinical efficacy of 12 weeks' treatment with Nasacort versus placebo in adult patients presenting with Chronic Non Allergic and Non Infectious Rhinitis
This study will test the effectiveness of an investigational treatment for patients with ragweed-induced asthma, sometimes called fall seasonal asthma. The treatment being tested is a series of anti-ragweed shots. The purpose of the study is to determine whether a short series of injections with Amb a 1-immunostimulatory oligodeoxyribonucleotide conjugate (AIC) can cause a long-lasting reduction in the symptoms of asthma that are caused by fall hay fever allergies.
The primary objective of this study is to isolate macrophages by using bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for different in vitro experiments. Therefore, following a baseline BAL, allergen, endotoxin, and saline will be instilled into three different lung segments during the first bronchoscopy. After 24 hours during a second bronchoscopy, BAL fluid will be collected in these challenged segments to harvest invaded cells for in vitro experimentation. In addition, segmental bronchial biopsies will be taken to assess the degree of local inflammation.
Many beneficial effects of vitamin E have been described, but vitamin E supplementation by mouth has not been effective in the treatment of nasal symptoms and allergic rhinitis. The investigators will evaluate the effect of vitamin E directly applied to the lining of the nose in individuals with moderate to severe rhinitis by symptom questionnaires.