1. What are the general causes of rhinitis and rhinorrhoea?

Answer: Associated with sinitus or allergen exposure, IgE, mediated inflammation, physiological response or physiological response to stimuli such as heat smoke and cold and consequences of allergy cold chemical or drug damage 

2. Which drug groups can be used for the treatment of rhinorrhoea? Name examples from each group.

Answer:

•  Alpha1-agonist (naphazoline)
• Corticosteroids ( Budesonide)
• Mast cell stabilizer (ketotifien)
• Antihistamines (loratidine)
• Mucolytics (Mesna)
• Diverse drugs (normal saline)
• Antibiotics (neomycin)

3. How do the decongestants differ with respect to the mechanism of action and duration of action?  How are they administered typically?

Answer: MOA: decongestants present are alpha adrenoceptor sympathomimetics, They therefore cause vasoconstriction, as a result reducing nasal airway resistance and allows breathing through the nose.

Duration of action: they provide quick relief that can last up to 12 hours however, they can only be used for 5-7 days.

Decongestants are administered topically by metered-dose sprays, which is the safes

 

4. What is rhinitis medicamentosa?  How is it treated?

Answer: permanent vasoconstriction causing poor local blood supply to damaged mucous membranes with permanent swelling and inflammation. Tachyphylaxis can be evoked by indirect acting drugs also known as privinism.

5. How does the first and second generations of antihistamines differ with respect to the mechanisms according to which rhinitis and rhinorrhoea are relieved?  What are the advantages of the second generation of antihistamines?  Why should they not be used to relieve cold rhinitis?

Answer: 1st gen antihistamines are used for non allergic rhinorrhea since they reduce inflammation in the nose. They also treat the symptoms.

2nd gen antihistamines are used to treat allergic rhinitis since they inhibit the release of histamine from  mast cells as well as other inflammation mediators. The advantages would be that they have almost no CNS distribution and have a low incidence to patients who have sedation and anticholinergic side effects.

However, antihistamines should never be used to alleviate cold rhinitis since symptoms which are caused by the bodys response are not related to histamine production. Antihistamines will have no effect. Therefore, we can say that histamine is not the major cause of a runny nose.

 

6. When are corticosteroids, anti-allergic drugs, mesna and normal salt solution valid and how are they administered? 

Answer:

• Corticosteroids: they are acceptable for the use of allergic rhinitis and is administered topically via nasal spray.
• Anti-allergic drugs: they are acceptable for prophylactic treatment of allergic rhinitis, administered topically via nasal spray.
• Mesna: this is acceptable for sticky nasal secretion, since it aids the mucus to become more of a liquid, administered topically via nasal spray.
• Normal salt solution: acceptable for humidifying dry and swollen mucus membranes of your nose during dry, cold weather, allergy like hay fever, nose bleed and other irritants, it is administered topically via nasal drops.