Characteristics and predictors of allergic rhinitis undertreatment in primary care

Abstract

Although allergic rhinitis is considered a raising medical problem in many countries it is often undertreated. The reasons for this phenomenon are not completely clear.The aim of this study is to evaluate factors associated with allergic rhinitis under-/no treatment. A sample of 518 allergic rhinitis patients recruited by their primary care physicians, as a part of the ARGA study, were invited to fill in a specific questionnaire regarding rhinitis symptoms, treatment, and rhinitis-related work/social disability. Chi-square test and logistic regression were performed to assess risk factors for allergic rhinitis under-/no treatment.Over one out of four patients had no treatment despite the symptoms and 13.5% were inadequately treated. Participants with asthma (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.30-0.75) and conjunctivitis (0.44, 95% CI 0.27-0.71) were at lower risk of allergic rhinitis under-/no treatment: in asthmatics this reduction was related mainly to the concomitant asthma treatment (OR 0.19, 95% CI 0.10-0.37).Asthmatics with under-/not treated rhinitis had the highest prevalence of rhinitis-related quality of life impairment. Under-/no treatment for allergic rhinitis is still rather frequent despite the relevance of this disease. The simultaneous presence of asthma and an anti-asthmatic therapy are able to influence positively the treatment. Targeted interventions toward a better characterization and a tight follow-up of rhinitis patient without asthma are needed.

YouTube as a source of (mis)information on allergic rhinitis

“…8 Recent studies reveal that self-management education for multiple long-term conditions is insufficiently provided in general practice. 9 This is because of time constraints, logistics, and a lack of resources, all of which can be considerable barriers to comprehensive patient education. 9,10 As a result of inadequate treatment, recent studies reveal an increase in patients' interest in self-management for their long-term conditions; approximately 76% of internet users go to online platforms and address resources to obtain medical information concerning their long-term conditions.…”

Physicians’ prescribing behaviour and clinical practice patterns for allergic rhinitis management in Italy

“…In Italy, prevalence of AR has increased over the last 20 years from 16.8 to 25.8% [ 1 , 28 , 29 ]. A survey by Spinozzi and coworkers showed that over half of the patients recruited by general practitioners (GPs) experience symptoms which significantly impairs their daily/social life [ 30 ]. Strikingly, more than 25% of the interviewed subjects received no treatment despite the symptoms and 13.5% were inadequately treated.…”

A Descriptive Study on Aeroallergen Sensitivity Pattern in Children with Bronchial Asthma and/or Allergic Rhinitis

“…In a study by Sharma et al, 12 out of 134 patients of AR and asthma, 69 (51.49%) had seasonal variation and the rest 65 (48.51%) had perennial variation, whereas our study shows contrary results. Similarly, Spinozzi et al 13 found in their study that 71.2% (n ¼ 222) cases of AR showed seasonal trends. Observation by Kumar 14 on seasonality of asthma in North Indian patients showed that seasonal and perennial symptoms were equal, whereas in asthma patients of our study, 63.6% (n ¼ 89) cases showed perennial symptoms.…”