Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common chronic allergic disease in children. Several studies have shown an association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and allergies, especially AR. Patients with ADHD usually have poor therapeutic adherence, and untreated AR symptoms may worsen the quality of life of patients.
Methods: The aim of our study was to analyse therapeutic adherence in patients with ADHD and AR and estimate the impact of the adherence on ADHD symptoms. Total Nasal Symptoms Score (TNSS), Paediatric or Adolescent Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (PRQLQ 6-12 years; ARQLQ 13-17 years), Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham version IV scale (SNAP-IV), and Medication Assessment Questionnaire (MGL MAQ) were recorded.
Results: In the AR-ADHD group, a positive correlation between TNSS and SNAP-IV subscales was found: worse AR symptoms were related to a negative effect on ADHD scores. AR-ADHD patients with better ADHD therapeutic adherence showed higher AR symptoms and higher oppositional defiant disorder scores in the SNAP-IV questionnaire.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that better adherence to AR therapy (oral antihistamines and/or intranasal corticosteroids, INCS) is associated with a reduction in inattention symptoms in children with ADHD. This data could prove to be fundamental for the psychic outcome of these patients.
Keywords: ADHD; allergic rhinitis; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; children; therapeutic adherence.