ESPRINT-15 questionnaire (Spanish version): reference values according to disease severity using both the original and the modified ARIA classifications.

OBJECTIVE

ESPRINT-15 is a specific and validated instrument to measure health-related quality of life in adults with allergic rhinitis. The aim of this study was to obtain new reference values based on disease severity using both the original and the modified versions of the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines.

METHODS

ESPRINT-15 was administered to a representative sample of adults with allergic rhinitis in Spain. As in a previous study by our group, means and percentiles were analyzed for 16 quotas based on gender, allergic rhinitis type (intermittent vs persistent), and 4 symptom intensity groups according to the total symptom score (TSS4). The novel aspect of the present study was our application the severity criteria proposed by both the original and the modified ARIA classifications.

RESULTS

Of the 2756 patients in our previous dataset, 2580 were included in the present analysis. In terms of symptom severity, women ha relatively more intense symptoms than men with both ARIA classifications. In fact, using only the modified ARIA classification, we were abl to determine that severe rhinitis is moderately more frequent in women (27% vs 23%), although the difference is not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

The new set of reference values enables the ESPRINT-15 questionnaire to be adapted to the current severity classification Consequently, this quality of life tool (http://www.seaic.org/inicio/esprint) can be easily used and better interpreted in daily clinical practice.