Abstracts
Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis and Concomitant Conditions in Adults and Children in Latin America: Findings From the “Allergies in Latin America Survey”
Charles K. Naspitz [1], Mark A. Wingertzahn [2], John M. Boyle [3], Hugo Neffen [4]
1. Professor (retired), Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Dept. Pediatrics, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil ; 2. Nycomed GmbH, Florham Park, NJ; 3. Schulman, Ronca, and Bucuvalas, Inc., New York, NY; 4. Allergologyst; Head of the Respiratory Medicine Unit, Children’s Hospital “Orlando Alassia”, Santa Fe, Argentina.
Introduction: Although allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common chronic condition, definitive prevalence rates in Latin America are lacking.
Methods: Allergies in Latin America is the first cross-national survey that describes the symptoms, impact, and treatment of nasal allergies in individuals 4 years and older residing in the Latin American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. In total, 22,012 households across the eight countries were screened for children and adults with a diagnosis of allergic rhinitis or nasal allergies and either symptoms or treatment in the past 12 months. Field work was performed both in-person and via telephone interviewing between February and April 2008 and the sample was probability-based to ensure valid statistical inference to the population.
Results: A total of 1088 adults and 457 children with hay fever, rhinitis, or nasal allergies were identified among 22,012 households screened, corresponding to 7.0% of the Latin American population having been diagnosed with nasal allergies or approximately 31 million individuals. Nearly two-thirds of the adults surveyed (59%) had seasonal or intermittent AR. An interesting finding however was that 39% reported their symptoms occurring throughout the year. Nasal allergies were diagnosed in the majority of cases by skin and blood tests (57% in adults vs. 63% in children). A greater proportion of children had both a skin and blood test to confirm the diagnosis of AR compared with surveyed adults (33% vs. 26% respectively). Just over one in four surveyed children (28%) reported having asthma compared to only 1 in 5 adults (21%).
Conclusions: These surveys suggest that AR is highly prevalent in both Latin American children and adults. Additionally, like in other studies from other countries, there appears to be a strong correlation between AR and asthma.
Comparison of Nasal Allergy Symptoms in Adults and Children from Latin America: Findings From the “Allergies in Latin America Survey.”
Hugo Neffen [1], Mark A. Wingertzahn [2], John M. Boyle [3],
1. Allergologyst; Head of the Respiratory Medicine Unit, Children’s Hospital “ Orlando Alassia”, Santa Fe, Argentina; 2. Nycomed GmbH, Florham Park, NJ; 3. Schulman, Ronca, and Bucuvalas, Inc., New York, NY;
Introduction: Nasal allergies affect adults and children with varying frequency and severity. This analysis compared allergy symptoms reported by adults and children with allergic rhinitis (AR) from eight Latin American countries to ascertain if there are differences in the way the symptoms of AR are perceived between younger and older individuals.
Methods: Allergies in Latin America is the first cross-national survey that describes the symptoms, impact, and treatment of nasal allergies in individuals 4 years and older in the Latin American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. In total, 22,012 households across the countries were screened for children and adults with a diagnosis of AR and either symptoms or treatment in the past 12 months. Field work was performed in-person and via telephone and the sample (1088 adults and 457 children) was probability-based to ensure valid statistical inference to the population.
Results: The most frequently reported nasal allergy symptoms were nasal congestion, nasal itching, runny nose, and repeated sneezing although the order of frequency varies slightly between the two populations. Nasal congestion was the most bothersome symptom with 89% of adults and 84% of children reporting that their congestion was at least moderately bothersome. Substantially more adults reported headache as a symptom of AR compared to children (22% vs. 14% respectively). A greater proportion of adult patients characterized their headaches as extremely bothersome compared to children (43% vs. 27% respectively). Appreciably more adult patients complained about red/itchy or watery eyes compared to children surveyed (33% vs. 22% and 33% vs. 24%, both respectively).
Conclusions: It appears that adults and children similarly perceive the type and severity of AR symptoms. However, these data suggest that adult patients with AR may perceive headaches and eye irritation as a more bothersome symptom than do children with AR.
Impact on Quality of Life and Performance in Adults and Children with Allergic Rhinitis in Latin America: Findings from the” Allergies in Latin America Survey.”
Dirceu Sole [1], Mark A. Wingertzahn [2], John M. Boyle [3], Hugo Neffen [4]
1. Division of Allergy, Clinical Immunology, Dept Pediatrics, Ferderal University of Sao Paulo; 2. Nycomed GmbH, Florham Park, NJ; 3. Schulman, Ronca, and Bucuvalas, Inc., New York, NY; 4. Allergologyst; Head of the Respiratory Medicine Unit, Children’s Hospital “Orlando Alassia”, Santa Fe, Argentina.
Introduction: It is well established that poorly controlled nasal allergies decreases quality of life and work/school performance as well as sleep in adults and children with allergic rhinitis (AR).
Methods: The Allergies in Latin America Survey was a national survey of 1545 individuals (4 yrs and older) with a diagnosis of AR or nasal allergies and either symptoms or treatment in the past 12 months. The survey collected quality-of-life information from 22,012 households in 8 major Latin American countries ( Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela) between February and April of 2008. The sample (1088 adults and 457 children) was probability-based to ensure valid statistical inference to the population.
Results: Fifty percent of adults and 42% of children with diagnosed AR in Latin America reported that it affected, to at least a moderate degree, their daily life. Over a third of adult survey responders (36%) reported missing work or having their job performance diminished by their nasal allergies in the past 12 months while almost half (49%) of the children reported that it interfered with or resulted in them missing school over the same time period. Furthermore, adults also reported a 34% percent decline in work productivity when their allergy symptoms were at their worst while the children reported a corresponding 35% reduction in school productivity. Compounding the reported missed work/school and productivity issues were sleep disturbances secondary to AR that were reported frequently by both adults and children.
Conclusions: These data support other data showing that nasal allergies can adversely affect quality of life in adults and children. Additionally, AR appears to reduce quality of life and performance at work and school to a similar degree in Latin American adults and children respectively.
Treatment Gaps with Current Allergic Rhinitis Medications in Adults from Latin America: Findings from the “Allergies in Latin America Survey.”
Hugo Neffen [1], Mark A. Wingertzahn [2], John M. Boyle [3]
1. Allergologyst; Head of the Respiratory Medicine Unit, Children’s Hospital “ Orlando Alassia”, Santa Fe, Argentina.; 2. Nycomed GmbH, Florham Park, NJ; 3. Schulman, Ronca, and Bucuvalas, Inc., New York, NY
Introduction: Adult perceptions of the efficacy and tolerability of allergic rhinitis (AR) medications and how these correlate to patient adherence were examined.
Methods: Allergies in Latin America is the first cross-national survey that describes the symptoms, impact, and treatment of nasal allergies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. In total, 22,012 households were screened for adults currently experiencing or diagnosed or being treated for AR. A total of 1,088 interviews were completed.
Results: The majority (68%) of adults reported they were currently taking medication for their AR. Over the past four weeks adults reported using similar percentages of over-the-counter and prescription medications (42% and 41% respectively) to control their AR. Nearly one-quarter (24%) reported using a prescription nasal spray. When these adult allergy sufferers were asked about the level of relief provided by their prescription nasal spray, two-thirds (65%) reported that it gave them relief from at least most of their symptoms.
Adults taking prescription nasal sprays who were not satisfied (11%) with their current AR medication overwhelmingly reported that the reason for dissatisfaction was due to lack of effectiveness ( 67%). Over one-third ( 35%) reported that the effectiveness of their current nasal spray either did not provide 24-hour relief or wore off with chronic use. Dissatisfaction due to side effects was due to bad taste ( 39%), dripping down the throat ( 34%), dryness (31%), volume of spray ( 30%), and drowsiness ( 22%).
Conclusions: Although most surveyed Latin American adults agree that prescription nasal sprays provide relief for most of their symptoms, there is still a significant treatment gap. Nasal allergy medications are perceived as not optimally effective and have unpleasant sensory attributes. Therefore, improvement in the formulation characteristics of AR medications may improve efficacy and tolerability and increase patient adherence to therapy.
Prevalence, Impact and Treatment Patterns in Children and Adult Patients with Allergic Rhinitis From Mexico: Findings from the “Allergies in Latin America Survey.”
Hector Leon Garza [1], Carlos J. Baez Loyola [2], Edgard Novel-Guerra [3], Mark A. Wingertzahn [4], John M. Boyle [5]
1. President of the Latin American Board for Professional Certification in Respiratory Therapy. Member of the international Committee for Respiratory for Respiratory Care; 2. ; 3. Otolaryngologist, Hospital Angeles de las Lomas; 4. Nycomed GmbH, Florham Park, NJ; 5. Schulman, Ronca, and Bucuvalas, Inc., New York, NY
Introduction: Although allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common chronic condition, definitive prevalence and incidence rates for specific Latin American countries such as Mexico are currently lacking.
Methods: Allergies in Latin America is the first cross-national survey that describes the symptoms, impact, and treatment of AR in individuals 4 years and older residing in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. The results from respondent (N=412) with a diagnosis of AR and either symptoms or treatment in the past 12 months surveyed from Mexico are presented here.
Results: Six percent of households reported someone having been diagnosed with AR, equating to approximately 6.8 million individuals in Mexico suffering from AR.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported that their AR was seasonal/intermittent in nature and nasal congestion ( 61%) was the most frequent symptom. Nasal congestion was reported as most the bothersome symptom by 32% of respondents. Fifty eight percent of participants reported that discomfort during an allergy attack is so severe that it cannot be tolerated. Forty five percent of respondents indicated that AR had at least a moderate impact on their daily life and 20% reported that their AR symptoms resulted in work/school absenteeism. Moreover, reduction in work performance was experienced by 29% of respondents. Overall, 71% of participants reported using medication to alleviate their allergy symptoms (25% of respondents reported using a prescription nasal spray). The greatest reasons cited for stopping a prescription nasal allergy medication was lack of efficacy, expense and side effects. Bad taste and retrograde drainage were the most bothersome side effects reported.
Conclusions: These results suggest that a substantial number of individuals in Mexico suffer from AR. Moreover, AR significantly impacts quality of life and work/school productivity resulting in a vast majority of AR sufferers taking medication to alleviate AR symptoms. Moreover, although a majority of individuals surveyed took medication to treat their AR symptoms, a large portion discontinued use due to lack of efficacy and tolerability issues .
Prevalence, Impact and Treatment Patterns in Adults Patients with Allergic Rhinitis From Argentina: Findings from the “Allergies in Latin America Survey.”
Alberto Dodero [1], Mark A. Wingertzahn [2], John M. Boyle [3], Hugo Neffen [4]
1. Head of ENT Division, Hospital de Clinicas Jose de San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina ; 2. Nycomed GmbH, Florham Park, NJ; 3. Schulman, Ronca, and Bucuvalas, Inc., New York, NY; 4. Allergologyst; Head of the Respiratory Medicine Unit, Children’s Hospital “Orlando Alassia”, Santa Fe, Argentina.
Introduction: Although allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common chronic condition, definitive prevalence rates for specific Latin American countries such as Argentina are currently lacking.
Methods: This survey is the first cross-national survey that describes symptoms, impact, and treatment of AR in individuals 4 years and older residing in the Latin American countries ( Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela). The results from respondents with a diagnosis of AR and either symptoms or treatment in the past 12 months (N=218) surveyed from Argentina are presented here.
Results: Four percent of households reported someone having been diagnosed with AR, equating to approximately 1.4 million individuals in Argentina having AR.
Sixty-three percent reported that their AR was seasonal/intermittent in nature. Sixty-three percent reported that nasal congestion was th e most frequent symptom and was also reported as being the most bothersome symptom. Seventy percent reported that discomfort during an allergy attack is so severe that it cannot be tolerated. Sixty-six percent reported that AR had at least a moderate impact on their daily life. Of these, 44% reported that that they had missed work/school and/or that their job/school performance was affected by their nasal allergies. Moreover, performance was reduced by one-third when AR symptoms were at their worst. Overall, 67% of participants reported using some type of medication to treat their AR. The major reasons cited for discontinuing AR medications were related to lack of efficacy, cost and side effects. Bad taste, burning and dripping down the throat were the most bothersome side effects reported.
Conclusions: These results suggest that a substantial number of individuals in Argentina suffer from AR. Moreover, AR significantly impacts quality of life and productivity resulting in a vast majority of AR sufferers having to take medication(s) to treat AR symptoms. Despite the large number of AR sufferers taking medication(s) to treat their AR symptoms, some will discontinue use primarily as a result of medication efficacy shortcomings and tolerability issues.
Prevalence, Impact and Treatment Patterns in Adults Patients with Allergic Rhinitis From Brazil: Findings from the “Allergies in Latin America Survey.”
Joao F. Mello Jr [1], Dirceu Sole [2], Charles K. Naspitz [3], Mark A. Wingertzahn [4], John M. Boyle [5]
1. Associate Professor of Otorhinolaryngology – Universtiy of Sao Paulo Medical School; 2. Division of Allergy, Clinical Immunology, Dept Pediatrics, Ferderal University of Sao Paulo; 3. Professor (retired), Division of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Dept. Pediatrics, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil ; 4. Nycomed GmbH, Florham Park, NJ; 5. Schulman, Ronca, and Bucuvalas, Inc., New York, NY;
Introduction: Although allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common chronic condition, definitive prevalence and incidence rates for specific countries such as Brazil are currently lacking.
Methods: Allergies in Latin America is the first cross-national survey that describes the symptoms, impact, and treatment of nasal allergies in individuals 4 years and older residing in the Latin American countries ( Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela). Results from respondents with a diagnosis of AR and either symptoms or treatment in the past 12 months (N=408) surveyed from Brazil are presented here.
Results: Nine percent of households reported someone having been diagnosed with AR, equating to 17 million adults in Brazil having AR.
Fifty five percent of survey participants reported that their AR was seasonal/intermittent in nature with the most frequently reported symptom being nasal congestion. Nasal congestion was the most bothersome symptom in 22% of those surveyed. Forty-three percent reported that discomfort during an allergy attack is so severe that it could not be tolerated. Twenty-three percent of adults reported that AR had at least a moderate impact on their daily life. Of these, 46% reported that that their AR impacted their attendance/performance at work. Work performance in Brazilian adults was reduced by 42% when they were experiencing AR symptoms at their worst. Overall, 60% of survey participants reported using some type of medication to alleviate their AR symptoms. The major reasons cited for discontinuing AR medications were related to lack of efficacy, cost and side effects. Bad taste, burning and retrograde drainage were among the most bothersome side effects reported.
Conclusions: These results suggest that a substantial number of individuals in Brazil suffer from AR and are affected to the greatest degree by nasal congestion. Additionally, AR significantly impacts quality of life and work/school productivity thus requiring a large majority of AR sufferers to take medication to manage their disease. Despite the large number of AR sufferers taking medication, some will discontinue use as a result of medication efficacy shortcomings and tolerability issues.