Abstract

RESEARCHING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH SEASONAL ALLERGIC RHINITIS PRACTICING SELF-TREATMENT

A. Todorova*, A. Tsvetkova, M. Arnaoudova, M. Dimitrov

ABSTRACT

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common allergic ailment in which the combination of symptoms and accompanying complaints can lead to severe deterioration of patients’ quality of life. It is a known fact that AR disturbs the patients’ daily physical and emotional condition and their social activities; it limits the cognitive capacity and can cause depression and anxiety. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of the seasonal allergic rhinitis on the quality of life in patients who apply self-treatment and do not follow a physician-prescribed therapy. Seventy-one patients of AR symptoms who do not follow a physician-prescribed therapy but seek advice in pharmacies have been monitored during the pollen season. Their quality of life has been studied with the help of a generic questionnaire SF-12V2 validated for Bulgaria; it studies patients’ physical, mental and psychosocial functions and offers summarized assessments of their physical and mental health. The research established that the respondents do not perceive AR as a factor that impacts their overall physical health in a significant way. They assess their physical condition to be slightly above the norm measured against the scale of the applied tool. All indices concerning the patients’ mental health are below the norm, which is an indicator that seasonal AR creates certain obstacles before the social functionality; it influences the emotions and the overall mental health.

Keywords: Allergic rhinitis (AR), generic questionnaire SF-12V2.