%0 Journal Article
%T Factors Associated with the Use of Different Treatment Modalities among Patients with Upper Airway Diseases in Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study
%A Malcolm Koo
%A Kai-Li Liang
%A Hsin Tsao
%A Ting-Ting Yen
%A Rong-San Jiang
%A Yueh-Chiao Yeh
%J Journal of Allergy
%D 2013
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.1155/2013/720879
%X Rhinitis is a common upper airway disease and can have great impact on patients' quality of life. Factors associated with the use of common treatment modalities among 279 Taiwanese rhinitis patients from the outpatient department of otolaryngology in a medical center were investigated using a cross-sectional survey study. Results from multiple logistic regression analysis, adjusted for etiologies of rhinitis, revealed that males were associated with surgical intervention (OR£¿=£¿2.11, ). Lower educational level was associated with oral (OR = 2.31, ) and topical medications (OR£¿=£¿2.50, ). Poor or fair general health status was associated with topical medications (OR£¿=£¿4.47, ), whereas very good or excellent general health status was inversely associated with surgical intervention (OR£¿=£¿0.32, ). Smoking was associated with the use of nasal irrigation (OR£¿=£¿2.72, ). Worse disease-specific quality of life was associated with oral medications (OR£¿=£¿2.46, ) and traditional Chinese medicine (OR£¿=£¿5.43, ). In conclusion, the use of different treatment modalities for rhinitis was associated with different combinations of independent factors. 1. Introduction Rhinitis is the inflammation of the mucous lining of the nose, and it can lead to symptoms including rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, post-nasal drip, itching, and sneezing. The etiologies of rhinitis include infection, anatomical anomalies, immunological disorders, hormonal imbalance, and ciliary defects [1, 2]. Similar nasal symptoms can be caused by different etiologies, making the diagnosis and treatment of rhinitis difficult. Methods for management of rhinitis include environmental control, pharmacotherapy, immunotherapy, surgical interventions, nasal irrigation, complementary, and alternative medicine [3]. Medications used for rhinitis are usually administered intranasally or orally. The surgical indications for rhinitis include drug-resistant inflammatory mucosal hypertrophy, anatomical anomalies, and sinus drainage obstruction. Complementary or alternative medicines such as traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture, herbs, and probiotics are also being used for the treatment of rhinitis [4¨C6]. Recently, evidence-based guidelines with several algorithm-guided therapeutic schemes for the treatment of rhinitis are available [2, 7, 8]. Yet, to our knowledge, no studies have been conducted to determine the factors associated with the use of different treatment modalities. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with the use of treatment among patients with rhinitis in
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ja/2013/720879/