Quantitative assessment of allergic shiners in children with allergic rhinitis.
BACKGROUND
The knowledge on allergic shiners is extremely limited. A conceivable tool able to quantify allergic shiners has not been established.


OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine the significance and changeability of allergic shiners through our newly developed computerized method.


METHODS
We developed a novel computerized method to measure allergic shiners and enrolled a cohort of children with or without allergic rhinitis. Children with allergic rhinitis were prospectively assessed. A standardized digital photograph was taken during each visit, and a modified Pediatric Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire was completed. Subject global assessment for nose symptoms and subject global assessment for eye symptoms (SGAE) were self-recorded daily.


RESULTS
We included 126 children with allergic rhinitis and 123 healthy control subjects. One hundred three (82%) participants with allergic rhinitis completed at least 4 prospective assessments. Shiners were darker (P < .001) and larger (P < .001) in children with allergic rhinitis. Darkness and sizes of allergic shiners were paradoxically inversely correlated (P = .02). Darkness of allergic shiners positively correlated with the duration of allergic rhinitis, practical problem scores, and SGAE values (P = .02, P = .004, and P = .002, respectively), but sizes of allergic shiners did not. Shiners were found to be darker in children with scores of eye symptoms of greater than 6, scores of practical problems of greater than 5, and SGAE values of greater than 0 (P = .02, P < .001, and P = .003, respectively), whereas shiners were larger in children with scores of other symptoms of greater than 9 and activity limitations of greater than 4 (P = .02 and P = .002, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Computer-analyzed allergic shiners correlate with the chronicity and severity of allergic rhinitis.
Chen
Chien-Han
CH
Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.
Lin
Yu-Tsan
YT
Wen
Che-Yen
CY
Wang
Li-Chieh
LC
Lin
Kuo-Hung
KH
Chiu
Shih-Hsuan
SH
Yang
Yao-Hsu
YH
Lee
Jyh-Hong
JH
Chiang
Bor-Luen
BL
D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012015:Reference Standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014894:Weights and Measures