Mobile technology offers novel insights into the control and treatment of allergic rhinitis: The MASK study

Demoly, Pascal/0000-0001-7827-7964; Chavannes, Niels/0000-0002-8607-9199; Basagana, Xavier/0000-0002-8457-1489; N.G., Papadopoulos/0000-0002-4448-3468; Almeida, Rute/0000-0001-7755-5002; Pereira, Ana Margarida/0000-0002-5468-0932; Gemicioglu, Bilun/0000-0001-5953-4881; Bedard, Annabelle/0000-0002-7842-8889; Anto, J M/0000-0002-4736-8529; Fonseca, Joao Almeida/0000-0002-0887-8796; Rodo, Xavier/0000-0003-4843-6180; stelmach, rafael/0000-0002-5132-1934; J, Garcia-Aymerich/0000-0002-7097-4586; orlando, valentina/0000-0002-8209-8878; Cardona, Victoria/0000-0003-2197-9767; yorgancioglu, arzu/0000-0002-4032-0944; Bindslev-Jensen, Carsten/0000-0002-8940-038X; VENTURA, Maria Teresa/0000-0002-2637-4583; O'Hehir, Robyn/0000-0002-3489-7595; Costa, Elisio/0000-0003-1158-1480; Malva, Joao/0000-0002-5438-4447; Pugin, Benoit/0000-0001-7132-9477; Psarros, Fotis/0000-0002-2928-150X; Kuna, Piotr/0000-0003-2401-0070 WOS:000473432800017 PubMed ID: 30951790 Background: Mobile health can be used to generate innovative insights into optimizing treatment to improve allergic rhinitis (AR) control. Objectives: A cross-sectional real-world observational study was undertaken in 22 countries to complement a pilot study and provide novel information on medication use, disease control, and work productivity in the everyday life of patients with AR. Methods: A mobile phone app (Allergy Diary, which is freely available on Google Play and Apple stores) was used to collect the data of daily visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for (1) overall allergic symptoms; (2) nasal, ocular, and asthma symptoms; (3) work; and (4) medication use by using a treatment scroll list including all allergy medications (prescribed and over-the-counter) customized for 22 countries. The 4 most common intranasal medications containing intranasal corticosteroids and 8 oral H-1-antihistamines were studied. Results: Nine thousand one hundred twenty-two users filled in 112,054 days of VASs in 2016 and 2017. Assessment of days was informative. Control of days with rhinitis differed between no (best control), single (good control for intranasal corticosteroid-treated days), or multiple (worst control) treatments. Users with the worst control increased the range of treatments being used. The same trend was found for asthma, eye symptoms, and work productivity. Differences between oral H-1-antihistamines were found. Conclusions: This study confirms the usefulness of the Allergy Diary in accessing and assessing behavior in patients with AR. This observational study using a very simple assessment tool (VAS) on a mobile phone had the potential to answer questions previously thought infeasible. Sanofi AventisSanofi-Aventis; GlaxoSmithKlineGlaxoSmithKline; North Portugal Regional Operational Programme; European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)European Union (EU); Mundipharm; Teva Pharma; AstraZenecaAstraZeneca; Boehringer IngelheimBoehringer Ingelheim; Chiesi; MEDA Pharma; Sao Paulo Research FoundationFundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Sao Paulo (FAPESP); NovartisNovartis; Chiesi, DBV Technologies; UCBUCB Pharma SA; SanofiSanofi-Aventis; Adamed; FAES, Berlin Chemie; ALK-Abello; Allergopharma, Allergy Therapeutics; ServierServier; ASIT biotech; Hulka; Leti and Stallergenes; Roxall, Atmos, Bionorica; ALK-Abello, Allergopharma, Stallergenes Greer, HAL Allergy Holding B.V./HAL Allergie GmbH, Bencard Allergie GmbH/Allergy Therapeutics; Biomay, Nuvo, Circassia; Novartis Pharma; Mundipharma; RocheRoche Holding; Erkko Foundation; Hal Allergy B. V.; Teva; Meda, Stallergenes; Cipla; Mundipharma, Mylan; Sanofi-AventisSanofi-Aventis P. Devillier reports personal fees from Sanofi Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline, AstraZeneca, Chiesi, Meda Pharma, and Menarini outside the submitted work. R. Almeida reports grants from Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000016 (NanoSTIMA) by the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020) under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement and through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) during the conduct of the study. A. Todo-Bom reports grants and personal fees from GlaxoSmithKline, Mundipharm, and Novartis; personal fees from Teva Pharma and AstraZeneca; and grants from Leti and Bial outside the submitted work. A. A. Cruz reports grants and personal fees from AstraZeneca; grants from GlaxoSmithKline; personal fees from Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, Novartis, Eurofarma, MEDA Pharma, and Boston Scientific outside the submitted work. R. Stelmach reports grants from the Sao Paulo Research Foundation and MSD; grants and personal fees from Novartis, grants, personal fees, and nonfinancial support from AstraZeneca and Chiesi; and personal fees and nonfinancial support from Boehringer Ingelheim outside the submitted work. D. Larenas-Linnemann reports personal fees from Armstrong, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi, DBV Technologies, Grunenthal, GlaxoSmithKline, MEDA, Menarini, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Siegfried, and UCB and grants from Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Novartis, UCB, GlaxoSmithKline, TEVA, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Chiesi outside the submitted work. V. Kvedariene has received payment for consultancy from GlaxoSmithKline and for lectures from StallergensGreer and Berlin-Chemie outside the submitted work. P. Kuna reports personal fees from Adamed, Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, Chiesi, FAES, Berlin Chemie, Novartis, Polpharma, and Allergopharma outside the submitted work. R. Mosges reports personal fees from ALK-Abello, Allergopharma, Allergy Therapeutics, Hexal, Servier, Klosterfrau, Stada, UCB, and Friulchem; grants from ASIT biotech, Nuvo, Bayer, FAES, GlaxoSmithKline, MSD, Johnson & Johnson, Meda, Optima, Ursapharm, BitopAG, and Hulka; grants and personal fees from Bencard; grants from Leti and Stallergenes; grants, personal fees and nonfinancial support from Lofarma; nonfinancial support from Roxall, Atmos, Bionorica, Otonomy, and Ferrero; and personal fees and nonfinancial support from Novartis outside the submitted work. O. Pfaar reports grants and personal fees from ALK-Abello, Allergopharma, Stallergenes Greer, HAL Allergy Holding B.V./HAL Allergie GmbH, Bencard Allergie GmbH/Allergy Therapeutics, and Lofarma; grants from Biomay, Nuvo, Circassia, and GlaxoSmithKline; and personal fees from Novartis Pharma, MEDA Pharma, Indoor Biotechnologies, and Pohl-Boskamp outside the submitted work. T. Haahtela reports personal fees from Mundipharma, Novartis, and Orion Pharma outside the submitted work. S. Toppila-Salmi reports other support from Biomedical Systems and Roche and grants from the Erkko Foundation outside the submitted work. N. G. Papadopoulos reports grants from Gerolymatos and personal fees from Hal Allergy B. V., Novartis Pharma AG, Menarini, Hal Allergy B. V., and Mylan outside the submitted work. S. Bosnic-Anticevich reports personal fees from Teva, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, and AstraZeneca outside the submitted work. C. Bachert reports personal fees from Meda, Stallergenes, and ALK-Abello (speaker). I. J. Ansotegui reports personal fees from Hikma, Roxall, AstraZeneca, Menarini, UCB, Faes Farma, Sanofi, and Mundipharma outside the submitted work. D.; Wallace reports other from Mylan Pharmaceutical Company outside the submitted work being co-chair of the AAAAI/ACAAI Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters. J. Bousquet reports personal fees and other support from Chiesi, Cipla, Hikma, Menarini, Mundipharma, Mylan, Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, Takeda, Teva, and Uriach outside the submitted work and other support from Kyomed. The rest of the authors declare that they have no relevant conflicts of interest.