A review: Ketotifen in its treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) and relevant disease

Abstract

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common disease in the world, which causes various adverse effects on quality of life. There are over 1 billion AR patients globally, with over 300 million cases in China alone. AR is closely related to asthma, 70.3% of children with AR can develop to asthma, and 80-95% of asthmatics have AR. To address the correlation between these two diseases, in 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) put forward the idea of the same airway, the same disease. Although a relatively low mortality rate, AR confers a significant burden on personal health and society. Ketotifen was an old medicine for asthma and AR etc., invented in 1970. In experiments with rat models and rat peritoneal mast cells, Ketotifen has been demonstrated to effectively inhibit histamine release induced by substances like 48/80. Ketotifen has been proven effective in treating AR and relevant diseases in clinics. We will review the mechanisms of ketotifen in treating AR for further study.