title: Impact of sedative and non-sedative antihistamines on the impaired productivity and quality of life in patients with pruritic skin diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The impairment that pruritic skin diseases have on patient productivity at work, in the classroom, and in daily activities is substantial and needs to be characterized. The objective of this study was to determine how pruritic skin diseases impact patient productivity and quality of life (QOL), in order to improve the measurement of these endpoints to allow the influence of treatment options including sedative and non-sedative antihistamines to be analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The impact of pruritic skin diseases and the effect of antihistamine therapy on work, classroom, and daily productivity were evaluated using the Work Productivity Assessment Index-Allergy Specific Questionnaire. The intensity of itch and patient QOL were assessed using a visual analogue scale and Skindex-16, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pruritic skin diseases resulted in significant impairment of work, classroom, and daily productivity. The severity of overall work impairment in atopic dermatitis (AD), urticaria, and prurigo was higher than for other diseases analyzed. However, classroom activity was more adversely affected in patients with urticaria relative to other diseases. All pruritic diseases in this study negatively impacted daily activity to a similar degree. Impaired productivity was significantly improved in patients taking non-sedative antihistamines for 1 month, and the improvements correlated with the alleviation of itch and improved QOL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that pruritic skin diseases reduce patient productivity at work, in the classroom, and during daily activities, and that non-sedative antihistamines may offer an advantage over sedative antihistamines for alleviating certain negative consequences of these skin diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Osaka University, Japan. h-murota@derma.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murota
authors.forename: Shun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitaba
authors.forename: Mamori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.forename: Mari
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wataya-Kaneda
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Azukizawa
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tanemura
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Umegaki
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terao
authors.forename: Yorihisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kotobuki
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Katayama
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D039563:Histamine H1 Antagonists, Non-Sedating / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011536:Prurigo; D011537:Pruritus / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014581:Urticaria
chemical_list: D006634:Histamine H1 Antagonists; D039563:Histamine H1 Antagonists, Non-Sedating