Abstract
BackgroundAsthma affects up to nearly 40% of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Poor control of AR symptoms is associated with poor asthma control. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of AR treatment with MP-AzeFlu on symptoms of AR as well as symptoms of asthma.MethodsThis prospective study used a visual analog scale (VAS) to assess symptoms of AR and asthma before and after treatment with MP-AzeFlu (Dymista®; azelastine hydrochloride plus fluticasone propionate; 1 spray in each nostril twice daily for 2 weeks). Participants suffered from moderate-to-severe AR according to Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma criteria, with acute AR symptoms (AR-VAS scores ≥ 50 mm) on inclusion day. In addition to symptom assessment, patients recorded the impact of AR symptoms on quality-of-life measures before, during, and at the conclusion of the treatment period (approximately 14 days). Patients self-reported change in frequency of their usage of asthma reliever medication on the last day of treatment.ResultsOf 1103 study participants, 267 (24.2%) had comorbid asthma. These participants reported using a mean of 5.1 puffs of asthma reliever medication in the week before treatment with MP-AzeFlu. A total of 81.8% of patients with comorbid asthma responded to AR therapy (AR-VAS < 50 mm on at least 1 study day). Among patients with AR and comorbid asthma, MP-AzeFlu was associated with improved VAS scores across all study parameters, including AR symptom severity, asthma symptom severity, sleep quality, daily work or school activities, daily social activities, and daily outdoor activities. Asthma symptom severity decreased from a mean of 48.9 mm to 24.1 mm on the VAS. Self-reported frequency of asthma reliever medication use was reduced for 57.6% of participants (n = 139/241).ConclusionMP-AzeFlu used to relieve AR symptoms was associated with reduced asthma symptom VAS scores and frequency of asthma reliever medication usage. Changes in overall symptoms of AR and asthma were correlated.
Highlights
Asthma affects up to nearly 40% of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR)
Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
AR symptom response In the total study population, all 1103 patients were included in the responder rate analysis
Summary
Asthma affects up to nearly 40% of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Between 15% and nearly 40% of patients with AR have comorbid asthma, whereas asthma prevalence in the general population is approximately 7% [1, 3]. Among patients with AR who visited a general practitioner, the majority—more than 90%—have moderateto-severe intermittent or persistent disease [4]. In a survey of 520 patients with asthma, asthma was significantly less likely to be controlled in patients with moderate-to-severe, persistent AR compared with those with intermittent AR (65.7% vs 20.4%; P < 0.01) [4]. Direct costs of AR are significantly higher for patients with mild-persistent asthma (€719) or moderate-persistent asthma (€799) than for the general population with AR (€554) [6]
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