The Health-Related Quality of Life Effects of Once-Daily Cetirizine HCl Syrup in Children with Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis

Summary: Seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) can adversely impact children's physical, psychological, and social functioning and well-being, that is, their health-related quality of life (HRQL). This study assessed HRQL in children 6 to 11 years treated with cetirizine HCI syrup, while concurrently assess-ing symptomatic relief and safety. In an open-label, non-comparative study, 544 children from 124 centers in the United States were instructed to take cetirizine HCl syrup (10 cc of mg/mL) each evening for 4 weeks. Children experienced statistically significant improvements in HRQL with significant reductions in mean symptom score (p<0.001) during the treatment period. Results were consistent across age groups (6-7, 8-9, 10-11 years). These results suggest that the symptomatic relief and tolerability profile of cetirizine HCl syrup daily translates into improvements in the HRQL of children with SAR. This 4-week open label study is among the first to evaluate the effect of antihistamine treatment on HRQL outcomes in children. Clin Pediatr. 2002;41:687-69