Enrico Maffezzoni¹, Federico Maffezzoni² and Stefano Agostini³*

¹Rhinocytoallergology Unit, Istituto Figlie di San Camillo, Cremona, Italy
²Clinical Psychology, Poliambulatorio Oberdan, Brescia, Italy
³Scientific Writer, Lodi, Italy

*Corresponding Author: Stefano Agostini, Scientific Writer, Lodi, Italy.

Received: February 21, 2023; Published: March 07, 2023

Abstract

The pharynx is often exposed to infectious and non-infectious factors that can lead to an inflammatory reaction referred to as pharyngitis or sore throat. Even if viral pharyngitis is a self-limiting disease, the related acute sore throat can be very annoying; therefore, rapid pain relief, obtained effectively and safely, must be the primary therapeutic goal. Moreover, an effective pain alleviation can result in the reduction of drug abuse. A medical device based on a compound made up of ectoine, propolis, grapefruit extract and glycerol (VG), to be sprayed directly into the oral cavity by means of a special nozzle, was compared with an oral spray based on isotonic saline solution (IS). The study is a prospective, controlled, monocentric, single-blind clinical trial. 49 patients were enrolled in the VG group and 52 patients were enrolled in the IS group. The investigators measured the patients’ pharyngeal redness, their pharyngeal edema and their mucous secretion on an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) and compiled the relevant 3 questionnaires. Patients graded their sore throat, difficulty swallowing and swelling of the throat with the same 11-point NRS and compiled the relevant 3 questionnaires. The first application of VG or IS was made by patients with 4 sprays directly onto the pharynx and they compiled the relevant NRSs questionnaires within 3 hours from the first application, at predefined intervals. The patients then left the clinic and applied VG or IS 4 times throughout the first day and 5 times per day in the following 2 days, each time with 4 sprays directly onto the pharynx. Patients compiled the 3 NRS questionnaires at the end of the first, of the second and of the third day of therapy. At the end of the third day of application of the oral sprays, the patients evaluated the effectiveness of the spray based on a 5-point Likert scale. In the morning of the fourth day, the patients were visited again in the clinic by the investigators. The reduction of the characteristic signs and symptoms of uncomplicated acute pharyngitis resulted significantly more pronounced on patients treated with VG versus those treated with IS. Both investigators and patients evaluated VG significantly more effective than IS. Both the tolerability and the safety of VG have proven to be equivalent to those of IS. In conclusion, the oral spray containing ectoine, propolis, grapefruit extract and glycerol can be considered a valid alternative for the treatment of signs and symptoms of uncomplicated acute pharyngitis.

Keywords: Acute Pharyngitis; Sore Throat; Difficulty Swallowing; Swelling of the Throat; Medical Device; Ectoine; Propolis; Grapefruit Extract; Citrus paradisi; Glycerol

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Citation

Citation: Enrico Maffezzoni., et al. “Effectiveness of a Medical Device Based on Ectoine, Propolis, Grapefruit Extract with Glycerol for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Acute Pharyngitis”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 7.4 (2023): 51-60.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Enrico Maffezzoni., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.