Visual analogue scale. A simple tool for daily treatment monitoring in allergic rhinitis

Abstract

In patients with allergic rhinitis, continuous assessment and monitoring of symptom severity, their nature and changes depending on the place, time and situation in which they occur are essential. Symptoms of allergic rhinitis are often subjective, and difficult to assess and verify. Individualised therapy and continuous monitoring of the disease create the need for a simple and effective tool. Visual analogue scale (VAS) is an instrument that can be used in daily practice. VAS is usually a horizontal 100 mm long scale with two opposing descriptors at its end points. Patients with allergic rhinitis specify a point on the scale that best corresponds to the severity of their symptoms. Symptoms of allergic rhinitis can be assessed globally or separately on different scales (nasal obstruction, rhinorrhoea, itching, sneezing). Advantages of VAS include: possibility to distinguish minimal differences in symptom severity, simplicity and easy interpretation, which translate into reproducibility, uniform evaluation system and high patient acceptance. VAS is well correlated with the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma classification, and a score of 50 (in a 100 mm scale) indicates moderate and severe allergic rhinitis. It has been shown that, irrespective of a baseline VAS score, a 23 mm improvement indicates that treatment has been effective, while a 30 mm improvement is associated with an improvement of the quality of life parameters. The scale is particularly useful for the purposes of documentation of allergic rhinitis severity and disease control in everyday practice due to its simplicity, timeeffectiveness and low susceptibility to errors, especially when combined with modern communication technologies, such as smartphone applications.