title: In allergic rhinitis, work, classroom and activity impairments are weakly related to other outcome measures.
abstract: The impact of grass pollen-induced allergic rhinitis (AR) on classroom/work productivity and activities can be assessed with a specific instrument: the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire plus Classroom Impairment Questions: Allergy Specific (WPAI-AS). This study evaluated the relationships between the WPAI-AS and other outcome measures in AR.
  
  
  
  Adolescents (aged 12-17) and adults (aged 18-65) consulting specialists for AR were enrolled in a four-week, multicentre, observational study. The management of AR was left to the physicians' discretion. Participants regularly rated the WPAI-AS, their symptoms (using the Rhinoconjunctivitis Total Symptom Score (RTSS) and a 0- to 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS)) and quality of life (according to the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ)).
  
  
  
  A total of 247 adolescents and 292 adults showed similar baseline impairments in classroom/work productivity and activities other than work. In both age groups, the WPAI-AS scores were moderately correlated with the RQLQ score and, to a lesser extent, with the VAS score and the RTSS. A multiple regression analysis indicated that the RQLQ score was a weak but statistically significant predictor of both impaired work/classroom productivity and daily activities. A 50-mm VAS cut-off categorized patients in whom AR had the greatest impact on productivity.
  
  
  
  Grass pollen-induced AR impairs work/classroom and daily activity to a similar extent in adults and adolescents. The weak-to-moderate correlations with AR symptom scores and quality-of-life scores suggest that a specific tool (such as the WPAI-AS) should be used to assess AR's impact on word/classroom productivity and daily activities.
authors: UPRES EA 220, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin, Suresnes, France. p.devillier@hopital-foch.org.|Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Department of Airway Diseases, Foch Hospital, Suresnes, France. p.devillier@hopital-foch.org.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Devillier
authors: INSERM, VIMA: Ageing and Chronic Diseases, Epidemiological and Public Health Approaches, U1168, Paris, France.|UMR-S 1168, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin, Versailles, France.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Bousquet
authors: UPRES EA 220, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin, Suresnes, France.|Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Department of Airway Diseases, Foch Hospital, Suresnes, France.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Salvator
authors: UPRES EA 220, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin, Suresnes, France.|Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Department of Airway Diseases, Foch Hospital, Suresnes, France.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Naline
authors: Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Department of Airway Diseases, Foch Hospital, Suresnes, France.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Grassin-Delyle
authors: Stallergenes SA, Antony, France.
authors: O
authors: O
authors: de Beaumont
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011363:Professional Impairment; D011788:Quality of Life; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: activities; allergic rhinitis; grass pollen; outcomes; productivity