Table 1 Demographics and clinical characteristics of participants (n = 296)
From: Identifying the hidden burden of allergic rhinitis (AR) in community pharmacy: a global phenomenon
| Variable | All participants (n = 296) | Self-selected OTC treatment(s) (n = 206) | Consulted with the Pharmacist (n = 90) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product based request (n = 42) | Symptom based request (n = 30) | Prescribed treatment (n = 18) | |||
| Gender | |||||
| Female | 197 (66.6%) | 142 (68.9%) | 21 (50.0%) | 22 (73.3%) | 12 (66.7%) |
| Male | 99 (33.4%) | 64 (31.1%) | 21 (50.0%) | 8 (26.7%) | 6 (33.3%) |
| Age group | |||||
| < 18 | 20 (6.8%) | 15 (7.3%) | 3 (7.1%) | 0 (0%) | 2 (11.1%) |
| 18–39 | 102 (34.5%) | 72 (35.0%) | 12 (28.6%) | 8 (26.7%) | 10 (55.6%) |
| > 40 | 174 (58.8%) | 119 (57.8%) | 27 (64.3%) | 22 (73.3%) | 6 (33.3%) |
| Differential diagnosis | |||||
| AR | 201 (67.9%) | 139 (67.5%) | 31 (73.8%) | 16 (53.3%) | 15 (83.3%) |
| Cold/Flu | 28 (9.5%) | 22 (10.7%) | 2 (4.8%) | 3 (10.0%) | 1 (5.6%) |
| Other | 42 (14.2%) | 31 (15.0%) | 4 (9.5%) | 5 (16.7%) | 2 (11.1%) |
| Unidentifiable | 25 (8.5%) | 14 (6.8%) | 5 (11.9%) | 6 (20.0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Symptoms | |||||
| Sneezing | 198 (66.9%) | 139 (67.5%) | 28 (66.7%) | 18 (60.0%) | 13 (72.2%) |
| Rhinorrhoea | 212 (71.6%) | 147 (71.4%) | 31 (73.8%) | 20 (66.7%) | 14 (77.8%) |
| Nasal Congestion | 218 (73.6%) | 149 (72.3%) | 31 (73.8%) | 23 (76.7%) | 15 (83.8%) |
| Itchy Nose | 81 (27.4%) | 64 (31.1%) | 9 (21.4%) | 3 (10.0%) | 5 (27.8%) |
| Itchy Eyes | 151 (51.0%) | 110 (53.4%) | 22 (52.4%) | 12 (40.0%) | 7 (38.9%) |
| Itchy Ears/palate | 55 (18.6%) | 41 (19.9%) | 6 (14.3%) | 4 (13.3%) | 4 (22.2%) |
| Wheeze | 37 (12.5%) | 32 (15.5%) | 2 (4.8%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (16.7%) |
| Headache | 28 (9.5%) | 22 (10.7%) | 2 (4.8%) | 2 (6.7%) | 2 (11.1%) |
| Fever | 6 (2.0%) | 5 (2.4%) | 0 (0%) | 1 (3.3%) | 0 (0%) |
| Duration of Symptoms | |||||
| Intermittent | 144 (48.7%) | 96 (46.9%) | 22 (52.4%) | 16 (53.5%) | 10 (55.6%) |
| Persistent | 152 (51.4%) | 110 (53.4%) | 20 (47.5%) | 14 (46.7%) | 8 (44.4%) |
| Severity of symptoms | |||||
| Mild | 31 (10.5%) | 25 (12.1%) | 4 (9.5%) | 2 (6.7%) | 0 (0%) |
| Moderate-Severe | 265 (89.5%) | 181 (90.5%) | 38 (90.5%) | 28 (93.3%) | 18 (100%) |
| Impact of symptoms on QOL | |||||
| Daily activities | 111 (37.5%) | 68 (33.0%) | 19 (45.2%) | 12 (40.0%) | 12 (66.7%) |
| Performance | 27 (9.1%) | 15 (73%) | 4 (9.5%) | 3 (10.0%) | 5 (27.8%) |
| Sleep | 79 (26.7%) | 58 (28.2%) | 10 (23.8%) | 5 (16.7%) | 6 (33.3%) |
| None | 118 (39.9%) | 96 (46.6%) | 10 (23.8%) | 11 (36.7%) | 1 (5.6%) |
| Triggers of symptoms | |||||
| Identified | 180 (60.8%) | 130 (63.1%) | 27 (64.3%) | 11 (36.7%) | 12 (66.7%) |
| Onset period of symptoms | |||||
| Seasonal | 149 (50.3%) | 105 (51.0%) | 27 (64.3%) | 9 (30.0%) | 8 (44.4%) |
| Year Round | 67 (22.6%) | 55 (26.7%) | 3 (7.1%) | 7 (23.3%) | 2 (11.1%) |