Quality of Life in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis in the North of Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Allergic Rhinitis (AR) is a chronic disease which affects the quality of life in adult patients. Fatigue, impairment of sleep quality and sexual dysfunction might be manifestations of the quality of life impairment in adults. Aim: To evaluate different aspects of the quality of life in AR patients compared to control groups. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, we enrolled three groups of adult individuals (18-45 years old) who visited hospitals at the Guilan University of Medical Sciences in 2014- 2015. The groups included adult patients with AR, Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS) and healthy controls. Total 288 subjects (144 males and 144 females) participated in this study. After signing informed consent, participants completed Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) or International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaires. A statistical analysis of the material was performed with the use of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and chi-square test. Data were analysed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: The mean age (±SD) of patients with AR, CRS and healthy controls were 34.6 (±6.2), 34.7 (±8.1) and 34.2 (±7.4) years respectively (p=0.8). There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics of participants among three groups in men or women. In comprehensive evaluation of the quality of life of male subjects, patients with AR had significantly lower score in sleep quality and sexual function than CRS patients (6.9 vs. 7.9 for sleep quality, p=0.01; 49.8 vs. 56.0 for sexual function, p<0.001). However, there was no significant difference among various aspects of quality life in the female participants. Conclusion: The present results showed impaired sleep quality and sexual function in AR patients when compared to patients with rhinosinusitis or healthy controls. The effect of AR on the various aspects of quality life in the male participants was more than females.

Keywords

• fatigue
• hypersensitivity
• sexual function
• sleep