Participants reported overall work time missed because of their allergies ranged from zero to 32 hours a week—or an average of about one hour of work a week during the year-long study. However, most of the time missed occurred during peak hay fever months in the spring and fall. During those times, patients may have missed several days of work a week because of allergy symptoms.
Patients treated by family physicians reported the most severe hay fever symptoms compared to people treated by allergists or self-managing their conditions. Lack of sleep and decreased quality of life were the side effects most often cited by patients in all treatment groups. Other symptoms reported to have negatively impacted work productivity were watery eyes and sneezing.
Researchers noted that proper diagnosis of hay fever is important and patients who suspect they may have allergies should be tested. More than 400 of the study participants received allergy skin tests. Tiny amounts of allergens are placed on the skin, and a series of tiny scratches or needle pricks force the allergens into the skin. A fifth of the participants received blood tests to detect immunoglobin E (IgE), a type of antibody produced by white blood cells to fight infection. The IgE attaches to the body's mast cells and causes them to release histamines responsible for allergic reactions (e.g., sneezing, watery eyes).
"Diagnostic testing followed by the right kind of treatment may mean less time out of work," Sheryl Szeinbach, the study's lead author, said in a press release. Results of the study were published in the April issue of the Primary Care Respiratory Journal. Funding for the study was provided by unrestricted grants from Phadia US Inc., a pharmaceutical company.
Copyright 2007 iVillage Total Health.
