The results of a new Creighton University study may soon be spelling relief for as many as 40 million Americans who have been suffering from seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) caused by pollens such as grass and ragweed.

It was remarked during the study that noninhaled, intranasal carbon dioxide (CO₂) can provide an effective treatment for many SAR sufferers.

Thomas B. Casale, M.D., principal investigator and chief of Creighton School of Medicine’s Division of Allergy/Immunology was of the view that the findings of this study can be hailed as amicable alternative for people who are not very keen to take up intranasal steroids.

From News-Medical.Net:

In the Creighton study, patients receiving CO2 reported a significant and rapid improvement in congestion, sneezing and other nasal symptoms – within 10 minutes and lasting at least 24 hours – over those taking a placebo (plain air). The CO2 group also reported some, although not statistically significant, improvement in non-nasal symptoms such as watery and itchy eyes.

Within 30 minutes of treatment, 50 percent of those taking CO2 reported more than a 50 percent improvement in nasal symptoms, compared to 27.6 percent of the placebo group.

The Creighton study involved 89 subjects, 18 to 75 years of age, who had at least a two-year history of seasonal allergies requiring pharmacotherapy. Sixty received CO2 and 29 received plain air.

The patients took the gases intranasally twice – once for each nostril – within an interval of less than five minutes for a total dose of about 1,200 milliliters. They avoided inhaling the gas by breathing through the mouth, allowing the gas to flow in one nostril, pass through the nose and sinus cavities, and pass out the other nostril.

It is critical to note here that intranasal noninhaled CO₂has proved to be an efficacious option for treating migraine despite the fact that the FDA is yet to grant its approval for this type of a use.

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