The Rhinitis Control Assessment Test (RCAT) is a simple self-administered questionnaire developed to assess control of rhinitis.
Translate into Brazilian Portuguese and validate the RCAT.
The RCAT ...was translated into Portuguese by two translators and subsequently back-translated into English. It was then applied to 141 adolescents with allergic rhinitis.
The internal consistency of the RCAT was 0.73. The questionnaire scores showed significant correlation with total nasal and extra-nasal symptom scores and nasal peak inspiratory flow (r: −0.73, −0.58 and 0.52, respectively; p<0.001) and were significantly different when divided by physician global assessment and total nasal symptom score severity. Cutoff points between 22 and 24 had the higher areas under the ROC curve to identify patients with rhinitis control. Total nasal and extra-nasal symptom scores were significantly different when a cutoff point of 22 was used (median: 4.0 vs. 8.0 and 2.0 vs. 5.0; p<0.001).
The Brazilian Portuguese version of the RCAT was shown to be a valid and discriminant tool to identify patients with controlled and uncontrolled allergic rhinitis.
O Rhinitis Control Assessment Test (RCAT) é um questionário simples e autoaplicável desenvolvido para avaliar o controle da rinite.
Traduzir para o Português validar o RCAT.
A tradução do RCAT foi feita por dois tradutores com posterior versão para a Língua Inglesa. O RCAT foi então aplicado de forma transversal a 141 adolescentes com rinite alérgica.
A consistência interna do RCAT foi 0,73. As notas totais do questionário se correlacionaram significantemente com os escores de sintomas nasais e extra-nasais e pico de fluxo inspiratório nasal (r: -0,73, -0,58 e 0,52, respectivamente; p<0,001) e foram significantemente diferentes quando separadas pela opinião médica sobre o controle da rinite e pela gravidade dos sintomas nasais. Os pontos de corte entre 22 e 24 foram os com maiores áreas sob a curva ROC para definição do controle da rinite. Os escores de sintomas nasais e extra-nasais foram significantemente diferentes quando os pacientes foram separados pelo ponto de corte de 22 (medianas de 4,0 vs. 8,0 e 2,0 vs. 5,0; p<0,001).
A versão em Português do RCAT se mostrou uma ferramenta válida e com bom poder discriminativo para separar pacientes com rinite alérgica controlada e não controlada.
Local allergic rhinitis (LAR) is a well-defined and reported phenotype in adults, but data is scarce for children and adolescents, and it is probably an undiagnosed and highly underestimated ...condition in childhood.
The objectives of this systematic review were to identify original observational studies published on LAR in children and adolescents and to describe the prevalence and characteristics of this phenotype in the pediatric age group.
A systematic search was performed in PubMed and EMBASE databases. The search was limited to publications on humans, written in English, published between January 1, 2000 and September 20, 2021. Participants had to be under 18 years old and with a diagnosis of LAR confirmed by nasal allergen provocation test (NAPT).
Ten articles were identified. Despite the wide variability of protocols, prevalence rates ranged from 3.7 to 83.3% among children previously diagnosed as having nonallergic rhinitis, being markedly lower in Eastern countries (3.7-16.6%) when compared to Western countries (22.3-83.3%). To date, no relevant clinical characteristics capable of differentiating LAR patients from other childhood rhinitis phenotypes have been identified.
LAR is an allergic rhinitis phenotype also found in children. Population and regional differences and differences in NAPT protocols may explain the heterogeneity in LAR prevalence rates observed in different parts of the world. In addition to clarifying this large discrepancy, longitudinal studies are also needed to assess the clinical characteristics of the LAR phenotype in the pediatric age group, and its stability into adulthood must be confirmed.
Background
Currently, the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis (AR) is arrived at predominantly by a clinical history and by systemic sensitization tests, but specific nasal provocation tests (NPT) may ...establish a better direct correlation between etiologic surveyed allergens and nasal symptoms.
Objectives
To standardize the specific NPT with one of the most important house-dust mites, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, monitored by acoustic rhinometry, in children and adolescents, and propose a simplified specific NPT to improve its clinical applicability as a diagnostic tool.
Methods
Sixteen controls (group 1) and 17 patients with an AR diagnosis sensitized to D. pteronyssinus (group 2) underwent a specific NPT with D. pteronyssinus. The acoustic rhinometry was performed after instillation of 0.15 mL of increasing concentrations of D. pteronyssinus (5000 BU/mL). The test was finalized after (1) instillation of the final concentration of D. pteronyssinus, or (2) after a 20% or more reduction in the volume of the first 5 cm of the nasal cavity (V5), or (3) a score of >3 in the symptoms questionnaire (a score from 0 to 7). A simplified specific NPT with two concentrations was proposed and implemented in a group of 10 patients with AR (group 3).
Results
At the end of the specific NPT, the median (range) variation in V5 was -5.7% (-9 to 4%) in the control group and -22.8% (-24 to -20%) in group 2. None of the patients in the control group and 88% of group 2 (15/17) showed positive specific NPT results. The simplified specific NPT triggered a positive response in 80% of patients in group 3, with median (range) V5 variation of -30.4% (-36 to -20%).
Conclusion
This protocol has been proven safe and useful to differentiate between children and adolescents with AR and controls. Concentrations of 1:1000 and 1:100 D. pteronyssinus were the best for use in simplified specific NPT, which made it simpler and faster, and expanded its clinical applicability.
PDF
