Comparison of Health-related Quality of Life in Patients With Allergic Rhinitis and Controls

Background: Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory disease of the nasal mucosa that can affect the quality of life of patients.  Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) in patients with allergic rhinitis and healthy people. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, participants were 100 patients with persistent allergic rhinitis (Mean±SD age = 30.1±7.6 years) and 100 healthy individuals (Mean±SD age = 29.7±6.0 years) referred to Amir Al-Momenin Hospital in Rasht, Iran. After obtaining an informed consent from them, a demographic form and the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were completed for them. T-test was used to compare the scores between the two groups. All statistical analyzes were performed in SPSS V. 19 software. Results: The Mean±SD of the HRQOL score in patients (66.66±13.77) was lower than in controls (72.88±12.40). This difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Results showed a significant relationship of low HRQOL with male gender and higher level of education (P<0.001). Conclusion: HRQOL in patients with allergic rhinitis is significantly poor. Further studies on the effect of this disease in different age groups and the role of pharmaceutical and non-pharmacological treatment methods in improving their HRQOL are recommended.