Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Dec 9;48(1):70.
doi: 10.1186/s40463-019-0392-1.

Rhinitis medicamentosa: a nationwide survey of Canadian otolaryngologists

James Fowler  1 , Christopher J Chin  2   3   4 , Emad Massoud  5
Affiliations

Rhinitis medicamentosa: a nationwide survey of Canadian otolaryngologists

James Fowler et al. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. .

Abstract

Background: Rhinitis medicamentosa is a non-allergic form of rhinitis that is typically caused by prolonged use of topical nasal decongestants. This condition commonly affects young adults and treatment is not trivial. We aimed to survey Canadian Otolaryngologists to determine practice patterns and their opinions regarding this under-studied condition.

Methods: An electronic survey was sent to practicing Otolaryngologists within the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. The survey contained 16 questions pertaining to the diagnosis and treatment of rhinitis medicamentosa, as well as opinions on public and primary care awareness of proper use of nasal decongestants.

Results: The survey was distributed to 533 Otolaryngologists and 69 surveys were returned (response rate of 13%). Cessation and weaning of decongestant (96%), and intranasal steroids (94%) were the most common methods for treating RM. Intranasal saline rinses (55%) and oral steroids (25%) were also supported by some respondents. For those who recommended cessation/weaning, 61% also concurrently introduced an intranasal steroid during this process. The majority responded that current warnings on nasal decongestants were inadequate (75%), and were not visible enough (79%).

Conclusions: Rhinitis medicamentosa is a common, and very preventable condition. Although the literature lacks a standardized approach to RM, our survey has shown that many Otolaryngologists diagnose and treat RM in a similar manner. Treatment tends to focus on decongestant cessation, often with concurrent introduction of intranasal steroids. It was felt the warning labels on the topical medications are not currently satisfactory.

Keywords: Otolaryngology; Rhinitis medicamentosa; Topical decongestant.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Electron microscopy of patient with rhinitis medicamentosa. Goblet cell hyperplasia, loss of cilia, and degenerative epithelial changes can be observed. Figure supplied by Dr. Sheen-Yie Fang, Department of Otolaryngology, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Graf P. Rhinitis medicamentosa. Treat Respir Med. 2005;4(1):21–29. doi: 10.2165/00151829-200504010-00003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ramey JT, Bailen E, Lockey RF. Rhinitis medicamentosa. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2006;16(3):148. - PubMed
    1. Doshi J. Rhinitis medicamentosa: what an otolaryngologist needs to know. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2009;266(5):623–625. doi: 10.1007/s00405-008-0896-1. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lockey RF. Rhinitis medicamentosa and the stuffy nose. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006;118(5):1017–1018. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2006.06.018. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Knipping S, Holzhausen HJ, Goetze G, Riederer A, Bloching MB. Rhinitis medicamentosa: electron microscopic changes of human nasal mucosa. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2007;136(1):57–61. doi: 10.1016/j.otohns.2006.08.025. - DOI - PubMed

Substances