Do the leukotriene receptor antagonists work in children with grass pollen-induced allergic rhinitis?
Although cysteinyl-leukotriene receptor antagonists were recently approved for use in allergic rhinitis (AR), there has been no study to date investigating their application in children. The aim was to evaluate whether montelukast provides any benefit in nasal allergen challenge-induced symptoms in children, and whether it could improve the control provided by an antihistamine during pollen season. Two randomized studies, one a double-blind, placebo-controlled, nasal allergen challenge study and one an open-label, cross-over, parallel-group clinical study, were performed in 18 (11.7+/-0.7 years) and 32 children (10.5+/-0.5 years), respectively, with grass pollen allergy. In the first study, the effect of a single dose of montelukast and its combination with loratadine were compared with placebo on nasal responses induced by allergen challenge. In the second study, the additive effect of montelukast to loratadine was tested in an open-label cross-over clinical study. In the challenge st
