A double-blind comparison of intranasal budesonide with placebo for nasal polyposis.
 Intranasal budesonide, 400 micrograms two times a day, was evaluated in 36 patients referred for treatment of nasal polyposis.
 The age range was 20 to 68 years.
 Polypectomy was done 5.6 (mean) times previously.
 After a 5-week, treatment-free, baseline period, patients were treated in a double-blind fashion with either budesonide or placebo during 4 weeks.
 After this treatment period, placebo-treated patients started receiving budesonide in an open trial for an additional 4 weeks.
 The patients rated their nasal symptoms daily.
 Nasal examinations and nasal inspiratory flow rate (IFR) measurements were done at clinic visits.
 After 3 and 4 weeks of treatment, the response to budesonide was significantly greater than response to placebo.
 The greater reduction in nasal blockage caused by polyps, observed on physical examination, p = 0.005, was mirrored by an increase in nasal IFR (p = 0.0001).
 Patient rating of the severity and frequency of nasal blockage were reduced more by budesonide than by placebo (p less than or equal to 0.0005).
 Switching placebo-treated patients to budesonide treatment resulted in a reduction of nasal blockage (p less than 0.001) and an increase in nasal IFR (p less than 0.001).
 The results demonstrate that topical nasal budesonide, 400 micrograms two times a day, is an effective treatment of nasal polyps.
