Effects of adjuvant therapy with 0.1% olopatadine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution on quality of life in patients with allergic rhinitis using systemic or nasal therapy.
BACKGROUND
Allergic rhinoconjunctivitis patients are often treated with nasal or systemic allergy therapy, forgoing therapy for ocular symptoms. This treatment regimen leaves important aspects of the allergic reaction untreated and affects quality of life (QoL). The Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Allergic Conjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire quantify separate aspects of QoL.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the benefit gained in QoL, measured by these questionnaires, when antiallergy eyedrops (olopatadine) were added to patients' preexisting regimens of nasal or systemic allergic rhinitis treatment.


METHODS
This was a 4-week prospective, multicenter, open-label, crossover, environmental QoL study. Visit 1 randomized patients to treatment group A or B and included baseline examinations and questionnaires. Group A instilled olopatadine twice daily and concomitantly with previously prescribed nasal or systemic antiallergy medication for 2 weeks. Group B received no ocular therapy and used only previously prescribed antiallergy medication for 2 weeks. Treatment group crossover occurred at visit 2. Patients again completed the questionnaires at visits 2 and 3.


RESULTS
Two hundred patients completed the study, 97 in group A and 103 in group B. Groups A and B experienced ocular allergic symptoms for 3.88 and 3.96 days, respectively, during the week before baseline. At visits 2 and 3, questionnaire scores were significantly improved for each group when olopatadine was added compared with the nontreatment periods. By visit 2, olopatadine improved QoL by 49% compared with 5% in the nontreated group (P < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, 90.5% of patients with allergic rhinitis treated nasally or systemically also had ocular allergic symptoms. Adding olopatadine to these patients' medication regimens significantly improved ocular allergic symptoms and overall QoL.
Berger
William
W
Southern California Research, Mission Viejo, California, USA. weberger@uci.edu
Abelson
Mark B
MB
Gomes
Paulo J
PJ
Beck
Morris
M
Kimura
Stephen
S
Westbrook
Thomas
T
Storms
William
W
Galant
Stanley
S
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000328:Adult; D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003990:Dibenzoxepins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D000069605:Olopatadine Hydrochloride; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States
D018926:Anti-Allergic Agents; D003990:Dibenzoxepins; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions; D000069605:Olopatadine Hydrochloride