Allergic rhinitis: Disease characteristics and coping measures in Saudi Arabia

Despite allergic rhinitis (AR) being a highly prevalent disease, according to literature, it is often underdiagnosed or undertreated. This study explored the disease characteristics of AR in the Saudi community and the non-conventional coping measures used to alleviate symptoms. The study was a nationwide cross-sectional study, using a self-report electronic survey distributed via social media networks in 2018. The survey included an explanatory letter and consent. The sample size comprised 3,458 participants and 2,849 adults had at least one of the four signs of AR, i.e. watery-nose, sneezing, nasal obstruction, itchy nose, watery eyes, in the past year, not related to cold/flu. The outcomes of the study were the triggers, pattern, severity and the classification of AR (2016 ARIA guidelines) and coping measures. Descriptive statistics, univariate analytic statistics and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. The P-value was considered statistically significant at