Allergy and health-related quality of life

We asked patients with allergies to complete the SF-36 Health Survey, a health-related quality-of-life (QOL) measure, to determine the impact of allergy on QOL.

In total, 377 adults-140 men (37%) and 237 women (63%)-seen in a tertiary care private neurotologic practice allergy clinic completed the questionnaire before beginning immunotherapy and dietary management. One hundred patients completed both initial and 1-year follow-up questionnaires. The SF-36 measures 8 health concepts ranging from physical to mental health, and scale scores range from 0 to 100.

Initial mean scores ranged from a high of 79.1 for the physical functioning scale to a low of 47.2 for the vitality scale, lower (poorer) on all scales than norms for the general US population. Significant improvement occurred from initial to follow-up on all scales. The largest improvements were in role functioning-physical, role functioning-emotional, and social functioning.

Findings suggest that allergy symptoms can affect QOL and that treatment with specific immunotherapy and/or dietary management may lead to measurable improvements.

The significant impact of allergy must be recognized, and treatment should be offered. The SF-36 can be used to evaluate treatment outcome.