Abstract
Background/Objective：The quality of life (QOL) of patients suffering from Japanese cedar (JC) pollinosis is significantly reduced. Due to time restraints, it is challenging to investigate the QOL during clinic visits in the high pollen season. In contrast, online surveys may be performed easily；however, it is difficult to confirm whether the participants have JC pollinosis. We therefore developed a new system for investigating the QOL of patients with JC pollinosis in order to overcome these issues. The present study was conducted to assess the usefulness of this system for evaluating JC pollinosis patients. Methods：Patients with JC pollinosis were screened at ENT clinics. Each patient registered themselves online, and QOL surveillance was performed on the website among registered patients three times during the pollen season. Results：A total of 236 patients registered for the study, 133 (56.4%) of whom took part in the survey during the high pollen season. The QOL scores significantly increased in the patients with JC pollinosis as the pollen levels in the air increased. The correlation between the severity of JC pollinosis and the number of clinic visits was found to be significant. Conclusions：Our newly developed system is useful for investigating the QOL and behavioral preferences of patients with JC pollinosis.
