Background: Generic and disease-specific quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaires are commonly used in subjects with allergic rhinitis (AR). AR, however, is closely associated with other disorders such as bronchial asthma and atopic dermatitis (AD). These co-morbid associations may have an effect on the inter-relation of generic and disease-specific QOL outcomes and the behaviour of this inter-relation in time. Objective: To unravel the inter-relationships between the outcome of a generic instrument (SF-36) and a disease-specific instrument (Rhinitis QOL Questionnaire (RQLQ)). Materials and methods: In the framework of a randomized clinical trial with respect to the efficacy of impermeable bedding covers in house dust mite (HDM) allergy, SF-36 and RQLQ were administered to 224 adults with AR and/or allergic asthma and/or AD at baseline and after 12 months of intervention. Regression analysis and canonical correlation were used to estimate overlap. Results: Overlap between SF-36 and RQLQ domains in terms of explained variance ranged from 6% to 56%. Canonical correlation yielded low coefficients (0.16-0.27). Moreover, both SF-36 and RQLQ scores did not change significantly during the intervention. Conclusion: In patients with HDM allergy characterized by co-morbid associations, SF-36 and RQLQ cover different aspects in QOL. It is advocated to use both simultaneously in performing QOL studies.

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doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2222.2004.02096.x, hdl.handle.net/1765/73229
Clinical and Experimental Allergy
Department of Otorhinolaryngology

Terreehorst, I., Duivenvoorden, H., Tempels-Pavlica, Z., Oosting, A. J., de Monchy, J. G., Bruijnzeel-Koomen, C. A., & Gerth van Wijk, R. (2004). Comparison of a generic and a rhinitis-specific quality-of-life (QOL) instrument in patients with house dust mite allergy: Relationship between the SF-36 and rhinitis QOL questionnaire. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 34(11), 1673–1677. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2222.2004.02096.x