Symptom Score for Allergic Rhinitis

Abstract

Objectives To determine the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in our study population and the correlation between the Score for Allergic Rhinitis (SFAR) and nasal smear eosinophil count. Study Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Ear, nose, and throat clinic, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria; a 450-bed tertiary health facility. Subjects Two hundred seventy-five consecutive, consenting patients who presented with nasal symptoms. Methods Information on the 8-parameter symptom score was collected using a semistructured questionnaire by interview. Nasal smear slides were air dried, fixed with 95% alcohol, stained using May-Grünwald-Giemsa stain, and examined under a light microscope. Results Of the 275 participants seen during the 1-year study, 116 (42.2%) were males. The mean ± SD age was 38.5 ± 16.3 (range, 14-75) years. Eighty-one (29.5%) were diagnosed with allergic rhinitis using a nasal smear eosinophil count. The most common symptom was excessive sneezing, involving 93% of patients with allergic rhinitis ( P < .001). The prevalence of allergic rhinitis using SFAR was 31.6%. The SFAR cutoff was set at >8 ( P < .001). The sensitivity and specificity for SFAR were 94.8% (confidence interval [CI], 90.5%-97.4%) and 95.1% (CI, 87.2%-98.4%), respectively. A high Spearman’s correlation (0.88) was obtained for SFAR when correlated with nasal smear eosinophil count. Conclusion The prevalence of allergic rhinitis using SFAR was 31.6%. The study shows that SFAR can be used as a simple, valid diagnostic tool in allergic rhinitis. This is important in rural settings where access to laboratory investigations might not be readily available.