Impact of the COVID-19 national lockdown in the allergic rhinitis symptoms in patients treated with immunotherapy at two allergy referral centers in Bogotá, Colombia

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

article

Lucia C. Pérez-Herrera MD¹  Sebastián Ordoñez-Cerón MD¹  Sergio Moreno-López MSc¹  Daniel Peñaranda MD, MSc³  Elizabeth García MD¹  Augusto Peñaranda MD, MSc¹ 

[1] Otolaryngology and Allergology Research groups;School of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes;Otolaryngology Section, Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud;Allergy Section, Department of Pediatrics, Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá;Department of Otolaryngology, Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá

关键词: allergic rhinitis;    COVID-19;    immunotherapy;    lockdown;    SARS-CoV2;   

DOI  :  10.1002/lio2.738

学科分类：环境科学（综合）

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Background Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) “lockdowns” caused an abruptly restricted access to health care services such as immunotherapy for allergic rhinitis (AR) and led to higher exposure to indoor allergens. This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on AR symptoms reported by the patients treated with immunotherapy who attended the Hospital Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá and Unidad Médico Quirúrgica de Otorrinolaringología, Colombia. Methods Pre–post study that included patients with AR confirmed diagnosis (prick test), treated with immunotherapy before and after COVID-19 lockdowns on March–June 2020. Visual analog scales (VAS) and sociodemographic questionnaires were applied to assess AR symptoms (nasal obstruction, pruritus, rhinorrhea, and ocular symptoms) and their associated factors. Results A total of 318 participants were included, and their mean age was 18.9 years (SD: 12.8). The median number of immunotherapy doses applied before isolation was 11 (interquartile range [IQR]: 6–19), and the median number of immunotherapy doses missed during isolation was three doses (IQR: 2–3). Up to 38.4% of the AR patients reported that their symptoms got worse during lockdowns. A pre–post mean difference in the VAS score of 0.5 was found for nasal obstruction ( p  = .01), 0.7 for pruritus ( p  < .001), 0.7 points for rhinorrhea ( p  < .001), and 0.8 for ocular symptoms ( p  < .001). Factors associated with worsening of AR symptom scores were pet ownership, atopic dermatitis, lower educational level, and a low number of immunotherapy doses applied before lockdowns. Conclusion A large proportion of patients reported worsening of their AR symptoms, probably due to higher exposure to indoor AR allergens and interruption of immunotherapy during COVID-19 lockdowns.

【 授权许可】

CC BY|CC BY-NC-ND