- Patients with a clinical allergy and/or a positive skin prick test and specific IgE to other inhalant allergens were excluded from the study. Additionally, patients with any of the following characteristics were also excluded: diagnosis of bronchial asthma, non-allergic rhinitis and severe non-stable diseases. Patients with other nasal problems, such as chronic nasal obstruction, reduced olfaction, bacterial colonization, and chronic sinusitis, were diagnosed based on a CT scan and nasal endoscopy were excluded. Subjects with other chronic or acute clinical disorders or with a history of respiratory tract infections within four weeks of the study initiation were also excluded.