title: Severity assessment of Japanese cedar pollinosis using the practical guideline for the management of allergic rhinitis in Japan and the allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma guideline.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study intended to assess the severity of Japanese cedar pollinosis using the Practical Guideline for the Management of Allergic Rhinitis in Japan (PG-MARJ) and the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) Guideline.
  
  
  METHODS
  An Internet questionnaire survey of patients with pollinosis was conducted in mid-May 2011 and responses were obtained from 3382 individuals who had potential symptoms of Japanese cedar pollinosis from February to early May 2011 and who had experienced such symptoms for at least two pollen seasons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to PG-MARJ, 23.5% of the respondents had severest rhinitis, 29.4% severe rhinitis, 31.3% moderate rhinitis, 13.8% mild rhinitis and 2.0% asymptomatic rhinitis. According to ARIA, 67.2% of them had moderate/severe persistent rhinitis, 23.8% moderate/severe intermittent rhinitis, 4.4% mild persistent rhinitis and 4.6% mild intermittent rhinitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Moderate to severe rhinitis was diagnosed in more than 80% of the respondents according to PG-MARJ, while moderate/severe rhinitis was diagnosed in more than 90% of the respondents according to ARIA. Most of the respondents suffered relatively severe pollinosis. More than 80% of the respondents had all the three major symptoms (i.e., sneezing, rhinorrhea and nasal blockage). Disagreement in the severity assessment between the two guidelines was noted in approximately 20% of the respondents.
authors: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan. m.gotoh@nms.ac.jp
authors: Minoru
authors: M
authors: Gotoh
authors: Atsushi
authors: A
authors: Yuta
authors: Mitsuhiro
authors: M
authors: Okano
authors: Nobuo
authors: N
authors: Ohta
authors: Atsushi
authors: A
authors: Matsubara
authors: Kimihiro
authors: K
authors: Okubo
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D032485:Cryptomeria / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D011058:Pollen / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D012621:Seasons; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens