Skip to main content

Table 1 Demographics and clinical characteristics of participants (n = 296)

From: Identifying the hidden burden of allergic rhinitis (AR) in community pharmacy: a global phenomenon

Variable

All participants (n = 296)

Self-selected OTC treatment(s) (n = 206)

Consulted with the Pharmacist (n = 90)

Product based request (n = 42)

Symptom based request (n = 30)

Prescribed treatment (n = 18)

Gender

 Female

197 (66.6%)

142 (68.9%)

21 (50.0%)

22 (73.3%)

12 (66.7%)

 Male

99 (33.4%)

64 (31.1%)

21 (50.0%)

8 (26.7%)

6 (33.3%)

Age group

  < 18

20 (6.8%)

15 (7.3%)

3 (7.1%)

0 (0%)

2 (11.1%)

 18–39

102 (34.5%)

72 (35.0%)

12 (28.6%)

8 (26.7%)

10 (55.6%)

  > 40

174 (58.8%)

119 (57.8%)

27 (64.3%)

22 (73.3%)

6 (33.3%)

Differential diagnosis

 AR

201 (67.9%)

139 (67.5%)

31 (73.8%)

16 (53.3%)

15 (83.3%)

 Cold/Flu

28 (9.5%)

22 (10.7%)

2 (4.8%)

3 (10.0%)

1 (5.6%)

 Other

42 (14.2%)

31 (15.0%)

4 (9.5%)

5 (16.7%)

2 (11.1%)

 Unidentifiable

25 (8.5%)

14 (6.8%)

5 (11.9%)

6 (20.0%)

0 (0%)

Symptoms

 Sneezing

198 (66.9%)

139 (67.5%)

28 (66.7%)

18 (60.0%)

13 (72.2%)

 Rhinorrhoea

212 (71.6%)

147 (71.4%)

31 (73.8%)

20 (66.7%)

14 (77.8%)

 Nasal Congestion

218 (73.6%)

149 (72.3%)

31 (73.8%)

23 (76.7%)

15 (83.8%)

 Itchy Nose

81 (27.4%)

64 (31.1%)

9 (21.4%)

3 (10.0%)

5 (27.8%)

 Itchy Eyes

151 (51.0%)

110 (53.4%)

22 (52.4%)

12 (40.0%)

7 (38.9%)

 Itchy Ears/palate

55 (18.6%)

41 (19.9%)

6 (14.3%)

4 (13.3%)

4 (22.2%)

 Wheeze

37 (12.5%)

32 (15.5%)

2 (4.8%)

0 (0%)

3 (16.7%)

 Headache

28 (9.5%)

22 (10.7%)

2 (4.8%)

2 (6.7%)

2 (11.1%)

 Fever

6 (2.0%)

5 (2.4%)

0 (0%)

1 (3.3%)

0 (0%)

Duration of Symptoms

 Intermittent

144 (48.7%)

96 (46.9%)

22 (52.4%)

16 (53.5%)

10 (55.6%)

 Persistent

152 (51.4%)

110 (53.4%)

20 (47.5%)

14 (46.7%)

8 (44.4%)

Severity of symptoms

 Mild

31 (10.5%)

25 (12.1%)

4 (9.5%)

2 (6.7%)

0 (0%)

 Moderate-Severe

265 (89.5%)

181 (90.5%)

38 (90.5%)

28 (93.3%)

18 (100%)

Impact of symptoms on QOL

 Daily activities

111 (37.5%)

68 (33.0%)

19 (45.2%)

12 (40.0%)

12 (66.7%)

 Performance

27 (9.1%)

15 (73%)

4 (9.5%)

3 (10.0%)

5 (27.8%)

 Sleep

79 (26.7%)

58 (28.2%)

10 (23.8%)

5 (16.7%)

6 (33.3%)

 None

118 (39.9%)

96 (46.6%)

10 (23.8%)

11 (36.7%)

1 (5.6%)

Triggers of symptoms

 Identified

180 (60.8%)

130 (63.1%)

27 (64.3%)

11 (36.7%)

12 (66.7%)

Onset period of symptoms

 Seasonal

149 (50.3%)

105 (51.0%)

27 (64.3%)

9 (30.0%)

8 (44.4%)

 Year Round

67 (22.6%)

55 (26.7%)

3 (7.1%)

7 (23.3%)

2 (11.1%)