The beliefs about allergic rhinitis and its treatment options from people in Central Thailand

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) has substantially negative impacts on patients' quality of life. Besides conventional medicines, many patients use alternative approaches, which sometimes were misconception. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to explore and compare the beliefs about AR and its treatment options between 2 different groups; control and AR patient groups. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 518 respondents residing in the central region of Thailand has been conducted using a self-reported questionnaire which consists of 3 parts; personal profile, the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questions, and the beliefs. ISAAC is applied for identifying respondents as the control or the AR group. RESULTS: From a total of 518 respondents, 311 (60.0%) were identified as the AR group. The demographic data between the control and the AR group has no statistical difference (p > 0.05). Regarding the beliefs about AR characteristics, 56.1% of the AR group believe that low immunity causes AR while the number of the control group reaches 56%. Thirty-nine point two percent for the AR group and 38.6% for the control group believe that AR is a fatal disease. The belief that AR can be spread by droplet/airborne transmission is 22.8% and 28.5% for the AR and the control group, respectively. About AR treatment options, 60.1% of the AR group and 43% of the control group believe that taking vitamin C can relieve AR symptoms, which has a statistical difference (p < 0.05) between the 2 groups. The belief that prolonged use of antihistamine drugs can cause drug resistance is 29.9% and 24.6% for AR and control groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Both groups of respondents mostly share common beliefs about AR characteristics and treatment options in which the AR group has higher percentage in some beliefs. Therefore, health literacy should be promoted in order to improve patient's care.