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. 2013 Oct 9;3(1):33.
doi: 10.1186/2045-7022-3-33.

Burden of illness and quality of life in patients being treated for seasonal allergic rhinitis: a cohort survey

Mark Small  1 , James Piercy, Pascal Demoly, Helen Marsden
Affiliations

Burden of illness and quality of life in patients being treated for seasonal allergic rhinitis: a cohort survey

Mark Small et al. Clin Transl Allergy. .

Abstract

Background: Allergic Rhinitis is an inflammatory disease which is characterised by burdensome nasal and/or ocular symptoms. This study aimed to assess the impact of symptoms (number of symptom-free days (SFD) and Quality of Life (QoL)) in patients with Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis (SAR) being treated with fluticasone furoate (FF), mometasone furoate (MF) or fluticasone propionate (FP).

Methods: In a cross-sectional, non-interventional, cohort analysis, primary care physicians and allergy specialists in France, Germany, and Spain were recruited via telephone interviews. Each physician prospectively recruited 4 SAR patients - 2 receiving FF, 1 receiving MF and 1 receiving FP - during June 2009. Patients answered questions on symptoms and completed questionnaires on QoL (mini-rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, RQLQ) and burden of illness (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index).

Results: A total of 540 patients were recruited during June 2009. 88 patients were subsequently found to be ineligible and excluded from the analyses. In the 4 weeks prior to assessment, patients reported a mean of 14.58 (±8.42) SFD. Patients receiving FF had more SFD (mean 15.45 ±8.29) than patients receiving MF (adjusted mean difference -1.22, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [-3.16 to 0.72], p=0.434) or FP (adjusted mean difference -1.95, 95% CI [-3.87 to -0.03], p=0.092), although statistical significance was not achieved. The mean RQLQ score was 1.54 (±1.06). Patients receiving FF had a better quality of life in the previous week (mini-RQLQ score: mean 1.42, ±1.04) than patients receiving MF (adjusted mean difference 0.28, 95% CI [0.03 to 0.52], p=0.052) or FP (adjusted mean difference 0.18, 95% CI [-0.05 to 0.41], p=0.244). Again, none of these results achieved statistical significance.

Conclusions: At the height of the allergy season, patients with SAR suffer symptoms approximately 50% of the time, and report an impact on their QoL. No significant differences were observed between FF, FP and MF related to SFD or QoL.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01199757.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of symptom free days in the past 4 weeks for patients on each INS therapy. FF: Fluticasone furoate; FP: Fluticasone propionate; MF: Mometasone furoate; INS: intranasal corticosteroids.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mini-RQLQ score for patients on each INS therapy. Mini-RQLQ: mini-rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire; FF: Fluticasone furoate; FP: Fluticasone propionate; MF: Mometasone furoate; INS: intranasal corticosteroids.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Symptom free days in patients with both nasal and ocular symptoms. Number of symptom free days in the past 4 weeks, in patients with a history of both ocular and nasal symptoms on each INS therapy. FF: Fluticasone furoate; FP: Fluticasone propionate; MF: Mometasone furoate; INS: intranasal corticosteroids.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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