Application of SNOT-22 Test and Visual Analogue Scale in Quality of Life Evaluation in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic nasal congestion in patients with allergic rhinitis can lead to sleep disorders and to sleep apnoea which, in combination with fatigue, can induce systemic effects, including irritability, weakness, malaise, and decreased appetite, growth retardation in adolescents, resulting in severe worsening of quality of life. Also, allergic rhinitis can affect social life, school performance, and productivity, especially in patients with severe disease. Aim: The aim of the present case-control study was to investigate the impact of quality-of-life impairment and the main contributing symptoms in patients with allergic rhinosinusitis. Materials and methods: During the survey from January to December 2018, 139 participants (111 with allergic rhinitis and 28 controls) were enrolled in the study. Participants in the clinical and control groups were invited to complete a quality-of-life questionnaire for patients with sino-nasal pathology (SNOT-22). For results, a comparison in terms of eye affecting itching, burning, redness, and tearing sensation, a 10-grade visual analogue scale table was presented. Results: Comparing the clinical and control groups of healthy patients in the first SNOT-22, the value was significantly elevated as expected. The mean score (SNOT-22 total score) of the twenty-two symptom scores in patients was 2.52±0.93 (0-5); by comparison, the value in the control group was only 0.64±0.11, with the difference being statistically significant (p=0.001). The results of the visual analogue scale for which the patients were asked to note the level of eye impairment: redness, burning, itching, and tearing that contributed to their negative sense of the quality of life, were eloquent. A statistically significant difference was found between participants with intermittent and persistent forms (6.06±0.20 vs. 3.00±0.25, p=0.001), and between the entire clinical group with AR and the healthy controls included in the study (4.48±0.22 versus 0.21±0.03, p=0.000). Conclusions: Summarising the results of our study and the available literature, we have concluded that nasal congestion and the abundance of secretions are symptoms that disrupt mostly the quality of life in AR patients and significantly affect the quality of sleep and are inevitable consequences of both daytime tone and productivity. The rich palette of symptoms that lead to deterioration of the mental and physical well-being of those affected by AR necessitates the need to sharpen the attention of professionals working for this type of pathology in order to strive to detail and differentiate the specific complaint and degree of quality of life deterioration.