Triamcinolone acetonide aqueous nasal spray improves nocturnal rhinitis-related quality of life in patients treated in a primary care setting: the Quality of Sleep in Allergic Rhinitis study.

Background: Sleep disturbances due to allergic rhinitis can contribute to daytime fatigue, impair mood, and decrease daytime functioning.

Objective: To measure allergic rhinitis patients' nocturnal rhinitis-related quality of life using a new, validated disease-specific instrument, the Nocturnal Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (NRQLQ).

Methods: This open-label study was conducted in a primary care setting. Adult patients with seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis rated nocturnal rhinitis-related quality of life using the NRQLQ and sleep disturbances using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at baseline and after 3 weeks of treatment with triamcinolone acetonide aqueous nasal spray (TAA AQ), 220 microg/d. Changes from baseline in overall and individual domain scores for both the NRQLQ and PSQI were evaluated using t tests for paired differences.

Results: The majority of the patients (N = 651) were female (58%), were white (85%), and shared a bed with a partner (63%). Mean +/- SD patient age was 45.7 +/- 15.5 years. TAA AQ treatment was associated with significant improvements in overall NRQLQ score (mean +/- SD change, -1.5 +/- 1.3; P < .001) and in individual domain scores (P < .001 for sleep problems, symptoms during sleep, symptoms upon waking in morning, and practical problems). Similarly, overall and individual PSQI domain scores were statistically significantly improved (P < .001). There were strong correlations between NRQLQ and PSQI scores (all comparisons P < .001).

Conclusions: Treatment with TAA AQ for 3 weeks resulted in statistically significant improvements in nocturnal rhinitis-related quality of life and sleep quality in allergic rhinitis patients treated in a primary care setting.