Classification and management of allergic rhinitis patients in general practice during pollen season
- Author
- Helen Van Hoecke (UGent) , N Vastesaeger, L Dewulf, L Sys and Paul Van Cauwenberge (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) represents a major challenge in primary care. The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) group proposed a new classification for AR and developed evidence-based guidelines for the management of this disease. We conducted this study to further characterize the classes of AR described by ARIA, and to evaluate whether the management of AR in general practice is in accordance with the ARIA guidelines. Methods: During the pollen season of 2003, 95 Belgian general practitioners (GPs) enrolled 804 patients who presented with symptoms of AR. For each patient, a questionnaire comprising the clinical presentation and management was completed. Results: In 64% of the patients, AR was classified as intermittent and in 36% as persistent. Persistent rhinitis caused more discomfort than intermittent rhinitis. Only 50% of the patients had ever undergone allergy testing. Among them, 51% were allergic to both seasonal and perennial allergens. Eighty-two per cent of the persistent rhinitics were allergic to at least one seasonal allergen and 72% of the intermittent rhinitics to at least one perennial allergen. When compared strictly with the ARIA recommendations, 49% of the patients with mild and/or intermittent AR were overtreated, whereas about 30% of those with moderate/severe persistent rhinitis were undertreated. Conclusion: This study confirms that the previous classification of AR into 'seasonal' and 'perennial' is not satisfactory and that intermittent and persistent AR are not equivalent to seasonal and perennial AR respectively. Furthermore, persistent rhinitis has been shown to be a distinct disease entity. Further efforts are required to disseminate and implement evidence-based diagnostic and treatment guidelines for AR in primary care practice.
- Keywords
- ASTHMA, IMPACT, INTERMITTENT, DIAGNOSIS, CORTICOSTEROIDS
Downloads
-
AR-ARIA in GP pdf.pdf
- full text
- |
- open access
- |
- |
- 119.40 KB
Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-887997
- MLA
- Van Hoecke, Helen, et al. “Classification and Management of Allergic Rhinitis Patients in General Practice during Pollen Season.” ALLERGY, vol. 61, no. 6, BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, 2006, pp. 705–11, doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.2006.01057.x.
- APA
- Van Hoecke, H., Vastesaeger, N., Dewulf, L., Sys, L., & Van Cauwenberge, P. (2006). Classification and management of allergic rhinitis patients in general practice during pollen season. ALLERGY, 61(6), 705–711. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2006.01057.x
- Chicago author-date
- Van Hoecke, Helen, N Vastesaeger, L Dewulf, L Sys, and Paul Van Cauwenberge. 2006. “Classification and Management of Allergic Rhinitis Patients in General Practice during Pollen Season.” ALLERGY 61 (6): 705–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2006.01057.x.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Van Hoecke, Helen, N Vastesaeger, L Dewulf, L Sys, and Paul Van Cauwenberge. 2006. “Classification and Management of Allergic Rhinitis Patients in General Practice during Pollen Season.” ALLERGY 61 (6): 705–711. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.2006.01057.x.
- Vancouver
- 1.Van Hoecke H, Vastesaeger N, Dewulf L, Sys L, Van Cauwenberge P. Classification and management of allergic rhinitis patients in general practice during pollen season. ALLERGY. 2006;61(6):705–11.
- IEEE
- [1]H. Van Hoecke, N. Vastesaeger, L. Dewulf, L. Sys, and P. Van Cauwenberge, “Classification and management of allergic rhinitis patients in general practice during pollen season,” ALLERGY, vol. 61, no. 6, pp. 705–711, 2006.
@article{887997, abstract = {{Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) represents a major challenge in primary care. The Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) group proposed a new classification for AR and developed evidence-based guidelines for the management of this disease. We conducted this study to further characterize the classes of AR described by ARIA, and to evaluate whether the management of AR in general practice is in accordance with the ARIA guidelines. Methods: During the pollen season of 2003, 95 Belgian general practitioners (GPs) enrolled 804 patients who presented with symptoms of AR. For each patient, a questionnaire comprising the clinical presentation and management was completed. Results: In 64% of the patients, AR was classified as intermittent and in 36% as persistent. Persistent rhinitis caused more discomfort than intermittent rhinitis. Only 50% of the patients had ever undergone allergy testing. Among them, 51% were allergic to both seasonal and perennial allergens. Eighty-two per cent of the persistent rhinitics were allergic to at least one seasonal allergen and 72% of the intermittent rhinitics to at least one perennial allergen. When compared strictly with the ARIA recommendations, 49% of the patients with mild and/or intermittent AR were overtreated, whereas about 30% of those with moderate/severe persistent rhinitis were undertreated. Conclusion: This study confirms that the previous classification of AR into 'seasonal' and 'perennial' is not satisfactory and that intermittent and persistent AR are not equivalent to seasonal and perennial AR respectively. Furthermore, persistent rhinitis has been shown to be a distinct disease entity. Further efforts are required to disseminate and implement evidence-based diagnostic and treatment guidelines for AR in primary care practice.}}, author = {{Van Hoecke, Helen and Vastesaeger, N and Dewulf, L and Sys, L and Van Cauwenberge, Paul}}, issn = {{0105-4538}}, journal = {{ALLERGY}}, keywords = {{ASTHMA,IMPACT,INTERMITTENT,DIAGNOSIS,CORTICOSTEROIDS}}, language = {{eng}}, number = {{6}}, pages = {{705--711}}, publisher = {{BLACKWELL PUBLISHING}}, title = {{Classification and management of allergic rhinitis patients in general practice during pollen season}}, url = {{http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1398-9995.2006.01057.x}}, volume = {{61}}, year = {{2006}}, }
- Altmetric
- View in Altmetric
- Web of Science
- Times cited: