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Allergic rhinitis characterization in community pharmacy customers: a cross-sectional study

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Abstract

Background Allergic rhinitis represents a public health problem that is significantly prevalent in the global population and has been associated with asthma, a strong desire to sleep and a low quality of life. Objective This study aims to evaluate the prevalence, symptoms, control strategies and treatment, as well as the control of this condition and its impact on the quality of life of customers of community pharmacies with allergic rhinitis. Setting A questionnaire survey was carried out in nine community pharmacies in the city of Guarda, Portugal. Method In this cross-sectional study, data was collected by an interview between May 2014 and December 2014. The control of the illness and the impact of allergic rhinitis on the quality of life were assessed through a CARAT10 test and a WHOQOL-BREF instrument, respectively. Main outcome measure The impact of allergic rhinitis on the patient’s quality of life. Results The estimated prevalence of allergic rhinitis was between 10.8% and 15.4%, from which 63 and 42 individuals were medically and symptomatically diagnosed, respectively, from a study population of 804 respondents. The majority of participants (57.1%) suffered from the symptoms more than twice a year. The symptoms, such as difficulty in falling asleep, repeated and continuous sneezing and bilateral nasal obstruction, were severe. There were patients with uncontrolled allergic rhinitis symptoms after the CARAT10 test, even when the individual’s perception of the quality of life was good according to the WHOQOL-BREF score, with gender differences in the psychological domain. It should also be emphasized that there was a significant association between higher education levels with better control of the illness/quality of life. Additionally, most participants used pharmacological treatment (not alternative therapies) and the adoption of self-management measures to relieve their symptoms. Conclusions The findings of this study showed that the estimated prevalence of allergic rhinitis seems to be apparently lower in Guarda than that found in the general Portuguese population. From the data, some patients showed uncontrolled allergic rhinitis symptoms, strengthening the importance of the role of intervention by a health professional.

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Acknowledgements

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or non-profit sectors. The authors would like to thank all those who participated in this study and Professor Samuel Walter Best from the Polytechnic Institute of Guarda for proofreading assistance. The authors also acknowledge all the editor and referees’ comments and recommendations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, Rua da Cadeia, 6300-035, Guarda, Portugal

    Hélio Guedes, Manuel Morgado, Márcio Rodrigues, Cecília Fonseca & André R. T. S. Araujo

  2. CICS-UBI – Health Sciences Research Centre, University of Beira Interior, Av. Infante D. Henrique, 6200-506, Covilhã, Portugal

    Manuel Morgado & Márcio Rodrigues

  3. Pharmaceutical Services of Hospital Centre of Cova da Beira, Quinta Do Alvito, 6200-251, Covilhã, Portugal

    Manuel Morgado

  4. Research Unit for Inland Development (UDI), Polytechnic Institute of Guarda, Av. Dr. Francisco Sá Carneiro, 50, 6300-559, Guarda, Portugal

    Márcio Rodrigues, Cecília Fonseca & André R. T. S. Araujo

  5. School of Health Sciences, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Rua Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida, 400, 4200-072, Porto, Portugal

    Agostinho Cruz

  6. Centre of Mathematics and Applications (CMA-UBI), University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal

    Cecília Fonseca

  7. REQUIMTE, Faculty of Pharmacy, Porto4Ageing, UCIBIO, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal

    Elísio Costa

  8. LAQV/REQUIMTE, Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal

    André R. T. S. Araujo

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  1. Hélio Guedes
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  2. Manuel Morgado
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  7. André R. T. S. Araujo
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Correspondence to André R. T. S. Araujo.

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Guedes, H., Morgado, M., Rodrigues, M. et al. Allergic rhinitis characterization in community pharmacy customers: a cross-sectional study. Int J Clin Pharm 43, 118–127 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-020-01115-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-020-01115-z

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