title: [Quality of life evaluation in the patient with allergic rhinits].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The introduction of the evaluation tools, such as the quality of life-questionnaires, allows to assess how functional alterations due to an illness affect the patient's life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To know the emotional, social and occupational state of allergic rhinitis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quality of life questionnaires were applied once to a group of 50 patients with allergic rhinitis diagnosis from the clinic immunology and allergy service, from May to August 2002.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Female sex was the predominant (64%), with ages from 8 to 74 years (average of 36.9 years). In women severe rhinitis was observed in 37.5%, and in men mild rhinitis was found in 61%. The main occupations were: student (20%), administrative (20%) and teacher (18%). Nasal symptoms appeared when doing the following activities: housework in 18 cases (36%), reading in 10 cases (20%) and house maintenance in 5 cases (10%). In the analysis done to know the usefulness of the questionnaire a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 85% were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The quality of life was found to be altered, affected and closely related to the presentation of nasal symptoms when doing different daily-life activities, which produces dissatisfaction in patients.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de inmunología clínica y alergia, Centro Médico Nacional 20 de Noviembre, Coyoacán y Félix Cuevas, Col. Del Valle, México, DF, CP 03229.
authors.forename: Lilia Hortensia
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Zendejas Cervantes
authors.forename: Albina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martínez Pérez
authors.forename: María Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Castrejón Vázquez
authors.forename: Alfonso Javier
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Miranda Feria
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000523:psychology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000523:psychology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires