INTRODUCTION
Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a type-2 chronic inflammatory disease
affecting the nasal mucosa and characterized by nasal symptoms such as
sneezing, rhinorrhoea (nasal discharge), pruritus, and nasal
congestion1-3. It is one of the most common
non-communicable chronic diseases in the world, affecting over 400
million people of all ages, particularly the paediatric
population1-6. While the prevalence of
physician-diagnosed AR in the United States has been observed as high as
15% and 30%, based on self-reported nasal
symptoms7,8, the prevalence was as high as up to 50%
in many European countries9. According to the Allergic
Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) and the Global Alliance against
Chronic Respiratory Diseases (GARD) statements, severe, refractory, or
mixed forms of AR are significantly increasing across the globe and have
contributed substantially to the socio-economic burden of the
disease10-12.
AR often coexists with other conditions, such as atopic dermatitis,
rhinosinusitis, rhino-conjunctivitis, and particularly asthma – a
coherent feature often referred to as ‘the atopic march’ due to common
systemic inflammatory processes2,4. 40-50% of
patients with AR also have asthma whereas the prevalence of AR as a
comorbidity in asthmatic patients is even higher, i.e.,
70-90%13. Several reports described that the patients
suffering from AR show a poorer quality of life (QoL), being affected by
impaired sleep pattern, increased amount of fatigue, depression, risk of
driving accident, and altered physical and social
functions8,14-16. Often, a poor perception of AR
symptoms is associated with poor control of AR17.
However, studies assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and
symptoms control in AR patients with concomitant asthma are lacking.
The Aerobiological Information Systems and allergic respiratory disease
management (AIS Life +) study focused on this aspect, by using
specifically designed and validated questionnaires on quality of life
and control for AR with comorbid asthma.