ReviewAllergy, asthma & immunology research2025
Efficacy of a Combination Therapy of Montelukast and Antihistamines in Allergic Rhinitis: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.
Review in Allergy, asthma & immunology research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Symptomatic Interventions for Allergic Rhinitis Without Comorbid Asthma: A Dose-Stratified Network Meta-analysis.Clinical drug investigation · 2026Pooled it
- Montelukast and Bilastine Combination Therapy in Allergic Rhinitis: A Narrative Review of Evidence.Cureus · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Allergic rhinitis (AR) significantly impairs quality of life and often necessitates combination therapies for optimal symptom control. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of montelukast-antihistamine combination therapy in patients with AR by using a network meta-analysis. A comprehensive search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar up to April 2025. The treatment strategies included montelukast alone, antihistamine monotherapies (loratadine, desloratadine, levocetirizine, and fexofenadine), their respective combinations with montelukast, including bilastine. Outcomes included daytime and nighttime symptom scores, Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ), and individual symptoms. Both pairwise and network meta-analyses were conducted. Thirty studies (4,486 patients) were included. Montelukast combinations with desloratadine (standardized mean difference [SMD] = -0.51), levocetirizine (SMD = -0.44), and loratadine (SMD = -0.31) significantly improved daytime nasal symptoms compared to montelukast alone. Only montelukast-levocetirizine improved nighttime symptoms (SMD = -0.21) and RQLQ (SMD = -0.48). The combinations with desloratadine or levocetirizine were superior for nasal obstruction, sneezing, and itching, while nasal discharge improved only with montelukast-levocetirizine. No treatment significantly improved eye symptoms. Surface under the cumulative ranking curve rankings generally favored combination therapies, though trends varied by outcome. Desloratadine monotherapy ranked highest for nasal itching. Although some comparisons require cautious interpretation, montelukast-based combination therapy demonstrated greater efficacy than monotherapy for multiple AR symptoms. These results highlight the importance of selecting therapeutic strategies based on the predominant symptom profile of individual patients.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.