Visual Analog Scale: Rhinitis Validity – SEO Title

The visual analog scale (VAS) demonstrates comparable validity for perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) and nonallergic rhinitis (NAR) severity and quality-of-life (QoL) impairment, according to a study published online Dec. 23 in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

Chamard Wongsa, M.D., from Mahidol University in Bangkok, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional prospective study including 455 adults with moderate-to-severe PAR (298 patients) and NAR (147 patients) to examine the concurrent validity of the VAS in assessing symptom severity and its association with QoL outcomes. Individual nasal symptoms, total nasal symptom score (TNSS), VAS, and Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life-36 (RCQ-36) scores were compared between the groups, and the validity of VAS with TNSS was assessed.

The researchers found that TNSS was lower in NAR, while VAS global scores and RCQ-36 domains were similar for NAR and PAR, with the exception of a trend toward higher eye symptom burden in PAR. There was a moderate correlation seen between VAS and TNSS in PAR (Spearman correlation, 0.49), while a weaker correlation was seen in NAR (Spearman correlation, 0.35).

In both groups, significantly worse RCQ-36 was seen for patients with VAS ≥70 mm (median cutoff), along with higher VAS for eye itching, postnasal drip, nasal voice, facial pressure, hyposmia, and cough. Strong correlations were seen for greater nasal obstruction and rhinorrhea severity with poorer QoL.

“These findings validate the VAS for assessing NAR severity and support refining guidelines for more precise disease classification,” the authors write.

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