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Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Immunotherapy (SIT) in improving the quality of life (QoL), reducing nasal symptoms (NS) and lessening the daytime sleepiness (DTS) in Perennial Allergic Rhinitis patients. Method: Cohort (QoL and NS) and cross-sectional studies (DTS) were done to determine the improvement of QoL, reduction of NS and lessening of DTS of PAR who received SIT 1997–2000. The data obtained from 34 medical records of a Private Allergy Clinic in Bandung, Indonesia, were clinical profiles of PAR patients, QoL (by Juniper's, with permission), NS and DTS (by Multiple Sleep Latency Test). The SIT is based on Skin End-Point Titration test (SET) and intracutaneous provocative food test (IPFT) as suggested by AAOAF, using standardized Allergen extract. Results: The longer the period of SIT treatment the lesser the level of DTS (p≤0.005) the lower the NS (p≤0.001). The SIT can also improve the overall QoL of PAR patients (p<0.001) since it proves a significant correlation between Qol and DTS (r=−0.637, p<0.001), NS and DTS (r=−0.734, p<0.001) and NS and QoL (r=0.9, p<0.001). Conclusion: The study concludes that SIT and IPFT are effective in reducing NS and lessening the DTS. This study also demonstrates that the better the QoL, the lesser DTS. We will later conduct a prospective cohort study to obtain a better perception concerning the correlation between SIT, NS, DTS and Qol. Purpose: A cross-sectional study that investigates the effectiveness of immunotherapy (IMT) in improving the quality of life (QoL), reducing nasal symptoms (NS) and the daytime sleepiness (DTS) of Perennial Allergic Rhinitis (PAR) patients. Method: In 1997–2000, 34 PAR patients between 11–56 years old participated in the study. Two subjects were in the preparation stage of IMT treatment, while the rest had been treated by IMT for 6–36 months using standardized allergen extract. The IMT treatment is based on Skin Endpoint Titration (SET) suggested by AAOAF. The assessment includes the NS, the QoL (Juniper's Quality of Life Questionnaires, with permission) and the DTS (by Multiple Sleep Latency Test). Results: The longer the period of IMT treatment the lesser the level of DTS (Kruskal–Wallis test, p=0.029) and the lower the NS (p=0.075). Although the study does not show that IMT can improve the overall QoL of PAR patients (p=0.20), it proves a significant correlation between QoL and DTS.