Journal
CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL ALLERGY
Volume 5, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
BMC
DOI: 10.1186/s13601-015-0080-9
Keywords
Allergic rhinitis; Control; Digital; Survey; Visual analogue scale; VAS
Categories
Funding
- GSK
- Merck
- Stallergenes
- ALK
- Meda
- Biopharma
- ALK-Abello
- Boheringer-Ingelheim
- Pierre Fabre
- Sanofi-Aventis
- Schering Plough
- UCB
- Uriach Group
- Zambon
- UK National Health Service
- British Lung Foundation
- Aerocrine
- AKL Ltd
- Almirall
- AstraZeneca
- Boehringer Ingelheim
- Chiesi
- Eli Lilly
- GlaxoSmithKline
- Mundipharma
- Napp
- Novartis
- Orion
- Pfizer
- Respiratory Effectiveness Group
- Takeda
- Teva
- Zentiva
- Almirral
- Nestle and Merck
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Background: The concept of control is gaining importance in the field of allergic rhinitis (AR), with a visual analogue scale (VAS) score being a validated, easy and attractive tool to evaluate AR symptom control. The doctors' perception of a VAS score as a good tool for evaluating AR symptom control is unknown, as is the level of AR control perceived by physicians who treat patients. Methods: 307 voluntarily selected physicians attending the annual (2013) European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) meeting completed a digital survey. Delegates were asked to (1) estimate how many AR patients/week they saw during the season, (2) estimate the proportion of patients they considered to have well-, partly-and un-controlled AR, (3) communicate how they gauged this control and (4) assess how useful they would find a VAS as a method of gauging control. 257 questionnaires were filled out completely and analysed. Results: EAACI delegates reported seeing 46.8 [standard deviation (SD) 68.5] AR patients/week during the season. They estimated that 38.7 % (SD 24.0), 34.2 % (SD 20.2) and 20.0 % (SD 16.34) of their AR patients had well-controlled (no AR symptoms), partly-controlled (some AR symptoms), or un-controlled-(moderate/severe AR symptoms) disease despite taking medication [remainder unknown (7.1 %)]. However, AR control was assessed in many ways, including symptom severity (74 %), frequency of day-and night-time symptoms (67 %), activity impairment (57 %), respiratory function monitoring (nasal and/or lung function; 40 %) and incidence of AR exacerbations (50 %). 91 % of delegates felt a simple VAS would be a useful tool to gauge AR symptom control. Conclusions: A substantial portion of patients with AR are perceived as having uncontrolled or partly controlled disease even when treated. A simple VAS score is considered a useful tool to monitor AR control.
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