Assessment of patient satisfaction with ebastine fast‐dissolving tablets in patients suffering from allergic rhinitis

ISSN 14750708 10.2217/THY.09.4 © 2009 Future Medicine Ltd Therapy (2009) 6(3), 407–415 Allergic rhinitis is a major IgE‐mediated chronic respiratory disorder that presents as a complex of nasal, ophthalmic, ear and sinus symptoms such as nasal congestion, nasal itching, rhinor‐ rhea, sneezing and watery/running eyes [1–3]. It is an extremely common condition, which has been estimated to affect more than 15% of the population [4] and it is one of the top ten reasons for patients visiting their general practitioner [101]. While it is not generally considered a life‐threat‐ ening condition, the negative impact on patient quality of life (QoL) is extensive and can impair the individual’s ability to perform in school or the workplace, and therefore represents a global health problem with significant socio–economic costs [5,6]. Allergic rhinitis has traditionally been subdi‐ vided, based on time of exposure, into seasonal and perennial disease. This subdivision is not perfect since there are many examples that fall outside of these definitions. For example, there are places where pollens and moulds are perennial allergens (e.g., grass pollen allergy in parts of the USA) and some symptoms of perennial disease are not always present all year round [7]. In 2001, the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) workshop group, in collaboration with the WHO, introduced a new classification sys‐ tem for allergic rhinitis based on the duration of symptoms and their severity [7]. The disease is classified as either intermittent allergic rhinitis (IAR; symptoms are present for less than 4 days per week or for less than 4 weeks) or persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR; symptoms are present for more than 4 days per week and for longer than 4 consecutive weeks) and the severity is categorized as either mild (all of the following items should be present: normal sleep; no impair‐ ment of daily activities, sport or leisure; no impair‐ ment of work or school; and no troublesome symptoms) or moderate to severe (one or more of the following items should occur: abnormal sleep; impairment of daily activities, sport or leisure; impaired work or school; or troublesome symp‐ toms). This new classification recognizes that allergic rhinitis is a significant chronic respiratory disease and supports a stepwise approach to ther‐ apy in which second‐generation antihistamines such as e bastine are an important c omponent [8]. Ebastine, a potent and selective H 1 ‐receptor antagonist, has been shown to be effective and well tolerated in the management of the Assessment of patient satisfaction with ebastine fast‐dissolving tablets in patients suffering from allergic rhinitis