The effect of encasings on quality of life in adult house dust mite allergic patients with rhinitis, asthma and/or atopic dermatitis.
BACKGROUND
Environmental control has been put forward as an integral part of the management of house dust mite (HDM) allergy in sensitized patients. To validate this statement allergic disorders involved in HDM allergy--allergic asthma, rhinitis and atopic eczema/dermatitis syndrome (AEDS)--should be taken together and studied in terms of the efficacy of environmental control. Because a generic quality of life questionnaire exceeds the border of disease, this may be used as major outcome parameter.


OBJECTIVE
To study the effects of bedding encasings in HDM allergic patients with asthma, rhinitis and AEDS.


METHODS
A total of 224 adult HDM allergic patients with rhinitis and/or asthma and/or dermatitis were randomly allocated impermeable or nonimpermeable encasings for mattress, pillow and duvet. Short form 36 (SF-36) was filled in at baseline and after 12 months.


RESULTS
Lower physical (P = 0.01) and emotional (P < 0.001) sumscores were seen in females. Also, the presence of asthma resulted in lower physical sumscore (P = 0.01). However, no effect was seen of encasings on either sumscore.


CONCLUSIONS
Bedding encasings do not improve quality of life in a mixed population of subjects with combinations with rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis and sensitized to HDMs.
Terreehorst
I
I
Department of Allergology, Erasmus Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Duivenvoorden
H J
HJ
Tempels-Pavlica
Z
Z
Oosting
A J
AJ
de Monchy
J G R
JG
Bruijnzeel-Koomen
C A F M
CA
van Wijk
R Gerth
RG
D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D001512:Bedding and Linens; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*