Short communication Cetirizine treatment of allergic cough in children with pollen allergy

Ciprandi G, Tosca M, Ricca V, Passalacqua G, Fregonese L, Fasce L,Canonica GW. Cetirizine treatment of allergic cough in children with pollenallergy.Allergy 1997: 52: 752-754. © Munksgaard 1997.Cetirizine, an antihistamine widely used in the treatment of allergicrhinoeonjunctivitis, also has antiallergic activity. Tlie present study aimed toevaluate cetirizine as a treatment for children with allergic cough due topollen allergy. This was a parallel-group, double-blind, plaeebo-controlled,randomized study. Twenty children with pollinosis were enrolled: they weresubdivided into two groups receiving a 1-month treatment during the pollenseason. The following variables were monitored: 1) clinical symptoms andrespiratory data (spirometry and PEF) evaluated at baseline and at the endof the study by allergists and by a daily diary card, and 2) pollen count. Thisstudy shows that cetirizine treatment reduces cough intensity (F<0.05) andfrequency (P<0.01). In conclusion, cetirizine does clinically improve coughdue to pollen allergy.