Treatment of allergic rhinitis using mobile technology with real-world data: The MASK observational pilot study

Area of Science:

• Allergy and immunology
• Digital health
• Real-world evidence

Background:

• Large observational studies are crucial for validating randomized control trial findings in real-world settings.
• Pilot study aimed to provide insights into the real-life treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) using mobile technology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the utility of a mobile application for collecting real-world data on allergic rhinitis management.
• To gain complementary insights into everyday AR treatment practices.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a mobile app (Allergy Diary) to collect daily visual analog scale (VAS) data on symptoms and medication use.
• Data collected from 2871 users over 17,091 days between 2015-2016.
• Included customized medication lists for 15 countries, covering prescribed and over-the-counter treatments.

Main Results:

• Daily symptom assessment proved more informative than treatment duration, as patients adjust medication use based on symptom control.
• The app enabled differentiation between various treatment classes, including intranasal corticosteroids and oral H1-antihistamines.
• Treatment control varied significantly, with no treatment showing the best control and multiple treatments indicating the worst.

Conclusions:

• The Allergy Diary app is a valuable tool for accessing and assessing real-world AR treatment practices.
• This pilot study, using simple mobile-based VAS, yielded novel findings and generated new research hypotheses.