Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms Seen as More Severe by Patients Than by Physicians

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Allergic Rhinitis Symptoms Seen as More Severe by

Patients Than by Physicians: Presented at

AAAAIBy

a Moyer

SAN DIEGO, CA -- March 5, 2007 -- Allergic rhinitis is perceived as

more severe and intrusive by patients than by physicians, according to

investigators who presented study findings here at the 2007 American

Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI) annual

meeting.

" Interestingly, the reverse is true with asthma. Asthma patients are

more optimistic than physicians about the level of control they have and

tend to perceive their asthma symptoms as being less severe than do their

physicians, " said presenting investigator Schatz, MD, chief

of allergy and immunology, Kaiser Permanent, San Diego, California,

United States.

" In asthma, we now have objective ways to measure the severity of

disease by assessing pulmonary function. We need similar objective

measures for nasal allergic disease, " Dr. Schatz said in a

presentation on February 26th.

He and his coinvestigators assessed the results of a cross-sectional

survey that had been completed by allergic rhinitis patients who attended

both primary care and specialist clinics. Physicians were asked to

complete a patient record form that included questions on the symptoms of

consecutive patients with allergic rhinitis. Similarly, the patients were

also asked to complete a record form that included questions on their

allergic rhinitis symptoms.

Among the 295 matched patient-physician records, the physicians rated

4.8% of the patients as having severe allergic rhinitis, while 14.8% of

the patients gave themselves such a rating. The physicians gave a rating

of mild to 43.5% of patients, while 31.3% of patients self-rated their

disease as mild. Moderate ratings were given by 51.7% of physicians and

54.0% of patients. Physicians reported sleep disturbance in 23.4%,

compared with such reports by 47.2% of patients.

Other ratings by physicians and patients were matched more closely --

57.6% of physicians and 49.6% of the patients reported nasal congestion,

the most frequent symptom reported by both. However, ocular symptoms were

of more concern to patients than physicians, with 37.5% of patients

reporting itchy and red eyes and 31.6% reporting water eyes, compared

with physicians reporting these symptoms in 33.9% and 28.8% of patients,

respectively.

The study was funded by GlaxoKline. Dr. Schatz has no significant

financial ties to the company.

[Presentation title: Physician and Patient Perception Differ for

Symptoms Associated With Allergic Rhinitis (AR). Abstract 627]