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Abstract
The prevalence of allergic rhinitis is constantly increasing, making this condition a global healthcare issue. According to the ARIA data, there are currently 40% of children who suffer from allergic rhinitis and between 0.8%–14.9% children (age 6–7 years) and 1.4%–39.7% (age 13–14 years) are affected by allergic rhinitis, as highlighted in the ISAAC study. As stated by the official statistical data of the National Healthcare Management Centre, in the Republic of Moldova, the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in children is also increasing. It is worth mentioning that the symptoms of allergic rhinitis, persistent over a long period of time, can significantly affect the quality of life of the child and his/her family. The change in child and family’s life stereotypes, the limitation of child’s social activity and his/her involvement into the educational process and selection of future career because by allergic rhinitis, have a major impact on the quality of life. The quality of life is a key indicator of efficiency and it plays an essential role in assessing the quality of provided healthcare services, as stated in the WHO recommendations. The significant prevalence of allergic rhinitis and its impact on the quality of life determines the approach to allergic rhinitis in terms of clinical practice and also the improvement of healthcare provided to such patients. So far, the quality of life of the children with a confirmed diagnosis of allergic rhinitis in the Republic of Moldova has never been assessed and this served as a point of departure in setting the research objective.
Objective To identify the impact of allergic rhinitis on the quality of life of children with allergic rhinitis in the Republic of Moldova.
Materials and methods This scientific research is a descriptive, selective, nonexperimental clinical trial with a cohort that included 151 children with confirmed diagnosis of allergic rhinitis. The research was conducted based on a standardised questionnaire to assess the quality of life of children with allergic rhinitis developed by Professor Elizabeth Juniper, MCSP, MSc. and translated by Carmen Posoiu. Patients were interviewed based on the actual cases of the Departments of Allergology, Pulmonology and ENT from the Institute of Mother and Child. The data collected for the study were entered into a Microsoft Office Excel 2007 table. The results were processed on the personal computer by using Microsoft Office Excel and EPI-Info 2007.
Outcomes The study conducted to assess the quality of life of children with allergic rhinitis revealed that fatigue/exhaustion had a moderate to severe impact on children (70% of cases); headaches affected moderately to severely 57.6% of cases; the incapacity to perform well an activity (school activity) as usually, disturbed the children in 53% of cases (moderately to severely); general state of being sick (moderately to severely) was expressed in 53% of cases; poor concentration disturbed the children moderately to severely (50.9% of cases); lack of a good night sleep impacted the children moderately to severely in 49% of cases.
Conclusions Values obtained from the analysis of above data revealed a significantly increased frequency in children with allergic rhinitis, considerably reducing their quality of life.
- allergic rhinitis
- children
- quality of life