Quality of life, clinical symptoms and nasa! passability in patients with allergic rhinitis

Abstract

Aim. To examine correlations between quality of life, impairment of nasal passability and severity of clinical symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Material and methods. The examination of 54 AR patients (41 females, 13 males age 18-62 years, mean age 38 years) diagnosed seasonal AR in 19 and year-round AR in 35 patients. Quality of life was assessed by RQLQ questionnaire. Nasal inspiratory peakflowmetry was used to assess nasal obstruction. AR symptoms were registered by self-control score method. Results. Most parameters of quality of life of AR patients correlated significantly with severity of clinical symptoms, the degree of nasal passability. Positive changes in clinical symptoms, nasal peakflowmetry evidence correlated with improvement of life quality in the course of treatment with a present-day antihistamine drug fexofenadin (120 mg/day) for 28 days. Conclusion. Quality of life in AR patients correlated with severity of clinical symptoms and the degree of nasal obstruction. Assessment of life quality should be included in the scheme of standard examination of AR patients.

Keywords

• allergic rhinitis
• quality of life