Quality of life of patients undergoing specific allergen immunotherapy in allergic rhinitis

Introduction: Although allergic diseases have been known since antiquity, both their understanding and systematics came later. The World Allergy Organization (WAO) defines the phenomenon of atopy as a predisposition of a person or family to the uncontrolled synthesis and release of IgE antibodies. Allergic rhinitis (AR) is one of the most important clinical diseases of rhinitis (NN, rhinitis). AR significantly reduces the quality of life, tends to increase, and its consequences may be life-threatening diseases.

Objective: The aim of the study is to determine the quality of life of patients who underwent specific allergen immunotherapy in allergic rhinitis.

Material and methods: The study was conducted at the Center for Specialist Allergology in Lublin between October 2018 - February 2019. The study covered a group of 157 patients. The diagnostic method used was a questionnaire. The first research tool was own questionnaire consisting of 31 questions. The second tool was the standardized questionnaire, the Polish version of the SF-36 Quality of Life Questionnaire.

Results: Studies have shown statistically significant changes in the symptoms of before and after immunotherapy, which means improving the quality of life and reducing the severity of symptoms and problems of respondents after therapy. The respondents were not in the best of health (50%). Over 50% of respondents said that the immunotherapy process significantly reduced personal / family expenses for treatment associated with allergic rhinitis.

Conclusions: The conducted process of specific allergen immunotherapy improved the quality of life of respondents by increasing awareness of the quality of life through the prism of health change in relation to the general indicator in the area of mental problems by reducing their nuisance value more than in the area of somatic symptoms.