Effect of allergic rhinitis and asthma on the quality of life in young Thai adolescents.

BACKGROUND Despite an increasing recognition that both asthma and allergic rhinitis are serious health disorders in Thailand, their combined effects on patients' quality of life in the Thai population has not been reported. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to evaluate the impacts of allergic rhinitis and asthma on the quality of life of young adolescents in Thailand. METHODS A total of 1,440 pupils, aged 12-14 years, were randomly recruited from 4 schools located in Bangkok and Pathum Thani Province. Allergic rhinitis and asthmatic symptoms were identified by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) written questionnaire. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) questionnaire was used to evaluate their quality of life. RESULTS There were 1,230 completed questionnaires for analysis. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis alone, asthma alone and diseases co-occurrence was 32.8%, 7.2%, and 12.7% respectively. Pupils with respiratory allergy had significantly lower PedsQL mean scores than healthy pupils, for all dimensions (p < 0.006). The greatest reduction of the PedsQL mean score was for emotional functioning. Among pupils with allergic rhinitis, those who were also affected with asthma had significantly lower mean scores, for all quality of life domains (all p < 0.001). Compared to allergic rhinitis, asthma significantly reduced PedsQL mean scores in almost all domains (p < 0.001), except for physical health. CONCLUSIONS Allergic rhinitis and asthma have a significant influence on the quality of life in young Thai adolescents, in particular regarding emotional functioning. Asthma has stronger negative effects on life quality than allergic rhinitis, especially regarding psychosocial health.