Aim: subjective assessment by patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) of the efficacy in control of the main symptoms, seeking medical care for AR symptoms and general treatment methods. Patients and Methods: from April to August 2020, a study was conducted of 328 adult respondents (buyers of medicines for the AR treatment: antihistamines and/or intranasal corticosteroids), who voluntarily agreed to an online survey. 164 respondents purchased medicines based on the prescription or doctor recommendation, while other 164 chose medicines independently. Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess the severity of individual AR symptoms (nasal congestion, runny nose/nasal discharge, sneezing, itchy nose, cough), as well as eye and general symptoms (general malaise, drowsiness, headache). Results: 56% of respondents had persistent AR symptoms. Herewith, 60% of respondents suffered from seasonal AR, 40% — perennial AR. 52% of respondents had a mild AR form. However, the main triad of AR symptoms (nasal congestion, rhinorrhea and sneezing), despite the non-severe AR form in the absolute majority of respondents corresponded to moderate or severe severity (VAS>5) and indicated a lack of AR control. 31% of those surveyed experienced severe AR symptoms that disrupted daytime activity and sleep. The respondents were most concerned about nasal congestion, runny nose/rhinorrhea, and sneezing (the average VAS score was 7.3, 7.1, and 6.5, respectively). The frequency of visits to the doctor for AR was very low: 95% of respondents visited their doctor no more than once a year, while 48% of them — every few years. The first choice in therapy was antihistamines, regardless of the presence or absence of doctor’s recommendation. In second place were decongestants, in third — intranasal corticosteroids, which were more commonly purchased on the doctor’s recommendation. Conclusion: adult respondents with a suspected diagnosis of AR, despite uncontrolled and marked symptoms, underestimate their disease, rarely consult a doctor, and prefer to follow the recommendations of relatives and friends or pharmacists for treatment. The lack of AR control among adults in our country is obvious and requires the active participation of the medical and pharmaceutical community for salvation of such problem. KEYWORDS: allergic rhinitis, visual analog scale, control of allergic rhinitis symptoms, survey, therapy choice, severity of allergic rhinitis symptoms. FOR CITATION: Nenasheva N.M., Shilenkova V.V. Control of allergic rhinitis symptoms in adults in the Russian Federation: online survey results. Russian Medical Inquiry. 2021;5(1):25–31. DOI: 10.32364/2587-6821-2021-5-1-25-31.

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Rhinitis can be of various etiologies. More often it is an infectious process (bacterial, viral) or clinical manifestations of an immediate allergic reaction. Other factors that provoke the development of rhinitis, for example, irritating substances, a number of drugs, hormonal imbalance, neurovegetative dysfunction, viruses are known. Doctors of various specialties are familiar with allergic rhinitis (AR) in their practice. In a number of cases there can be some difficulties in the differential diagnosis of rhinitis, the correct diagnosis and the appointment of adequate therapy. The COVID-19 epidemic (“coronavirus disease 2019”) has already been imprinted in the global history as an emergency of international importance. Scientific medical communities continue to study the characteristics of this epidemic, which is regarded by WHO as a pandemic. In a short period (from January 2020), there has been accumulated enough information about the etiology, features of the clinical manifestations of this disease, diagnostic methods have been developed, and clinical approaches and treatment regimens continue to be developed. The pandemic coincided with successive pollen seasons of trees, grasses and weeds. At the beginning of the pollen season, doctors were concerned about the possible difficulty in differential diagnosis of allergic rhinitis, manifestations of coronavirus and other viral infections. In the process of monitoring patients, more and more data has been accumulated, indicating the features of the clinical characteristics of COVID-19, influenza, acute respiratory infections, seasonal allergic rhinitis (rhinoconjunctivitis). Undoubtedly, information is still being accumulating and enriching day by day. AR is not only the most common form of rhinitis, but one of the most common diseases in children and adults. It is known about the pronounced negative effect of AR symptoms on the patient’s quality of life: normal daily activity, cognitive functions, mood, sleep. The severity of AR symptoms varies from minimal clinical manifestations to severe. Therapy should be directed towards the general control of AR symptoms. Over the past decades, the concept of phenotyping (definition of a disease by its clinical manifestations) and endotyping (based on the pathobiological mechanisms of the disease) has been developed. The belonging of AR in a particular patient to a certain phenotype plays a key role in choosing the most effective therapy and requires a personalized approach to treatment. The article provides frequently asked questions regarding AR treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of intranasal corticosteroids (InHCS), which are the most effective drugs in AR therapy, is discussed, due to their pronounced anti-inflammatory effect and influence on all stages of the pathogenesis of the disease. Mometasone furoate nasal spray has the widest indications among all InHCS drugs registered in our country.