Clinical Effectiveness of Eucalyptus Oil in the Management of Geriatric Rhinitis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of eucalyptus oil in the symptomatic management of geriatric rhinitis in elderly patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 56 patients aged ≥60 years with geriatric rhinitis was conducted. Patients received topical intranasal eucalyptus oil therapy for 2 weeks. Clinical outcomes included nasal dryness, crusting, frequency of epistaxis, nasal obstruction, postnasal drip, and olfactory function. Symptom severity was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS), and pre- and post-treatment scores were compared. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed in nasal dryness (mean VAS pretreatment: 7.8, mean VAS post-treatment: 3.2, P<0.001), crusting (mean VAS pretreatment: 6.9, mean VAS post-treatment: 2.8, P<0.001), and nasal obstruction (mean VAS pretreatment: 6.5, mean VAS post-treatment: 3.5, P<0.001). Epistaxis frequency decreased by 61%. Olfactory function improved modestly (P=0.040). No severe adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSION: Eucalyptus oil appears to be a safe and effective adjunctive therapy for geriatric rhinitis, particularly for dryness and crusting.