Phototherapy for allergic rhinitis - our experience

Introduction: Allergic rhinitis is a very common disease with increasing social and economic impact. Medical therapy is expensive, not always effective and has significant side effects. The only ethological treatment: allergen avoidance is often impossible. Aim: To share our first impressions from broadband intranasal phototherapy. Material and methods: We studied 37 cases with intermittent or persistent allergic rhinitis, which underwent intranasal phototherapy at the Medical Institute of the Ministry of Interior or Military Medical Academy, Sofia with pre- and post-treatment nasal endoscopy and acoustic rhinometry. VAS was used for subjective assessment of the patients. Results: In all cases we found objective and subjective improvement (in nasal scores, endoscopic and acoustic rhinometry indicators). Conclusions: Broadband intranasal phototherapy seems to be an effective method for treatment of allergic rhinitis. It can be indispensable, especially in cases with contraindications for drug application