%0 Journal Article
%T Explorative study on patient¡¯s perceived knowledge level, expectations, preferences and fear of side effects for treatment for allergic rhinitis
%A Peter W Hellings
%A Fabienne Dobbels
%A Kris Denhaerynck
%A Mark Piessens
%A Jan L Ceuppens
%A Sabina De Geest
%J Clinical and Translational Allergy
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/2045-7022-2-9
%X This explorative cross-sectional survey study included a convenience sample of 170 patients with rhinitis and clinical suspicion of allergy at the department of Otorhinolaryngology and Allergology. Patients¡¯ perceived knowledge level, expectations, patient preferences, and fear of side effects of allergy treatment were collected via a self-report questionnaire developed for the purpose of this study.22% of all patients (38/170) reported to have knowledge about anti-allergic treatment. 40% (55/170) of rhinitis patients expected to be cured by the prescribed treatment, whereas 43% (73/170) of patients expected suppression of allergic symptoms. Nasal spray was the preferred route of anti-allergic drug administration in 30% (52/170) of patients, followed by oral treatment (24%; 42/170), combination therapy (16%; 30/170), and injection therapy (15%; 27/170). More patients would choose a combination treatment with step-down approach (31%; 53/170) than mono-therapy with a step-up approach (20%; 34/170). Fear for side effects was reported mainly for nasal corticosteroids (48%; 81/170) and less for oral antihistamines (33%; 36/170), leucotriene antagonists (21%, 36/170) and immunotherapy (19%, 33/170).Patients consulting for rhinitis have high expectations of anti-allergic treatment, prefer a nasal spray above oral treatment, prefer combined treatment rather than monotherapy, and fear adverse events of anti-allergic treatment.Allergic rhinitis (AR) represents a common airway disease, with an estimated prevalence of 30% of the total population in Europe and the US suffering from allergen-induced nasal obstruction, rhinorrhoea, sneezing, itchy nose and/or itchy eyes ([1]) ([2]). Thanks to the expansion of studies on treatment of allergic disease during the last decades, evidence-based guidelines for treatment of AR are nowadays available([1]). The ARIA document provides an extensive overview on clinical effectiveness of available treatment options. It is however, recommended t
%K Allergy
%K Rhinitis
%K Treatment
%K Patient reported outcomes
%K Preferences
%K Side-effects
%U http://www.ctajournal.com/content/2/1/9