Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 26, 2026
06:34
A Component-resolved Diagnostic Approach for a Study on Grass Pollen Allergens in Chinese Southerners with Allergic Rhinitis and/or Asthma
Published on: June 4, 2017
The score for allergic rhinitis (SFAR): a simple and valid assessment method in population studies
I Annesi-Maesano1, A Didier, M Klossek
1INSERM U472, Villejuif CEDEX, France.
Allergy
|April 4, 2002
Summary
A new Score For Allergic Rhinitis (SFAR) tool effectively identifies allergic rhinitis (AR) in population studies. This validated questionnaire is quick to administer and aids in estimating AR prevalence.
Area of Science:
- Allergy and Immunology
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Validated assessments for allergic rhinitis (AR) are lacking for population studies without medical diagnosis.
- The Score For Allergic Rhinitis (SFAR) was developed as a quantitative tool (0-16) to address this gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the Score For Allergic Rhinitis (SFAR) for use in population-based research.
- To assess the diagnostic accuracy, internal consistency, and population acceptability of the SFAR.
Main Methods:
- SFAR validation involved 269 outpatients (diagnosis validation) and 3001 individuals via telephone interview (population acceptability).
- Psychometric methods were used for internal validation.
- Gold standards included specialist diagnosis and skin prick tests (SPT).
Main Results:
- A SFAR value ≥7 demonstrated satisfactory discrimination between AR and non-AR patients (sensitivity 74%, specificity 83%).
- The score exhibited high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.79).
- Telephone interviews averaged 3 minutes, with good participant understanding; AR prevalence was 21%.
Conclusions:
- The Score For Allergic Rhinitis (SFAR) is a user-friendly tool for estimating AR prevalence in population settings.
- SFAR can facilitate etiological studies of allergic rhinitis.
- The tool's ease of use supports its application in large-scale epidemiological research.
