Validation of antihistamine treatments using a treatment-specific questionnaire for Japanese cedar pollinosis − Patient satisfaction and treatment efficacy −

Abstract

We conducted a retrospective study to determine whether or not antihistamine treatments led to an improved satisfaction and symptom relief in cedar pollinosis patients according to a treatment-specific questionnaire. A total of 121 cedar pollinosis patients > 12 years old were evaluated. The treatment satisfaction rate among revisited cases was 78%, which was increased according to the questionnaire compared to the previous year (71%). The nasal symptom score was lower in the treatment group (revisited) during the peak pollen dispersal period (p < 0.05) and the late pollen season (p < 0.01) than in the non-treatment group. Furthermore, the degree of disturbance of the quality of life was also lower in the treatment group than in the non-treatment group during the later stage of the pollen season (p < 0.01). In addition, the nasal symptom scores of 37 revisited patients showed a significant improvement compared with the score before treatments (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that using a questionnaire improves patient satisfaction and the therapeutic efficacy. The treatment policy was able to be unified for 96% of patients using the treatment-specific questionnaire, even if they were treated by multiple part-time doctors.