Effects of Intranasal Cellulose Powder on Asthma Control in Children With Mild-to-Moderate Perennial Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial

BackgroundPerennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) often coexists in asthmatic patients. Intranasal cellulose powder (ICP) was reportedly effective in ameliorating PAR.ObjectiveWe investigated whether ICP is equally effective compared with intranasal corticosteroids in improving asthma control as well as nasal symptoms among children with PAR and allergic asthma (AA).MethodsBetween July 2015 and September 2016, we did a single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Asthmatic children aged 6 to 11 years with mild-to-moderate PAR were randomly assigned to formoterol/budesonide inhalation (4·5 µg/80 µg, twice daily) plus intranasal budesonide 64 µg twice daily (group A), ICP 250 µg thrice daily (group B), or intranasal placebo 250 µg thrice daily (group C) for 8 weeks. The primary outcome was change in asthma control test for children (C-ACT) score from baseline to week 8 posttreatment. Changes in spirometry, peak expiratory flow (PEF), fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and visual analog scale (VAS) fo...