Health status in allergic rhinitis

Although valid and reliable instruments exist to measure the quality of lif e of allergic rhinitis patients, a statistically sensitive and clinically m eaningful way to evaluate patients undergoing immunotherapy has not been re ported. A 21-site prospective, observational study was performed in a popul ation of consecutive patients with allergic rhinitis, Baseline general heal th measures revealed significant (P < 0.05) decrements from reported normat ive levels in 8 domains for patients choosing to undergo immunotherapy and 5 domains for patients choosing not to undergo immunotherapy. The General H ealth Survey was less sensitive in detecting change than the Nasal Health S urvey (Chronic Sinusitis Survey) and allergy-specific (Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire and Allergy Outcome Survey) surveys. Severity of symptoms was associated with both the likelihood to choose immunotherap y and the likelihood for early improvement. We conclude that general and co ndition-specific measures can be used to observe patients after immunothera py; however, obtaining baseline data and controlling for seasonality are im portant considerations.