Small particles such as dust, mould, pet dander, and pollen can cause allergies during a specific season or year-round. Symptoms from these types of allergies include sneezing, nasal congestion, coughing and watering or itchy eyes. Whilst not life-threatening, allergy symptoms can affect one's ability to sleep well, enjoy social activities (particularly outdoors), and perform at work and school.
Allergy symptoms can be treated with medications; some can be purchased directly by patients from stores and pharmacies, while others require a prescription, and thus a visit to a doctor. Making such treatments available without a prescription may allow patients to access allergy medications more quickly and result in fewer doctor visits. Since many people experience allergies, this could generate large savings to the National Health Service (NHS) that could be used for the treatment of other conditions. However, there is no current information on the number of doctor visits for allergies and the number of allergy prescriptions to estimate these costs.
This study will report on patients diagnosed with and treated for allergies in England, including their characteristics (such as age and gender), and types of medications prescribed. The costs of prescription medications and visits for allergy treatment will be estimated.
Seasonal and perennial allergies caused by pollen, dust, mould, or pet dander are one of the most common ailments in Europe, and are associated with a reduced quality of life, as well as a substantial burden to healthcare systems. Many treatments are currently available by prescription (Rx) only, therefore requiring a general practitioner (GP) visit. It is possible that switching the status of medications from Rx to over-the-counter (OTC), if appropriate, may result in greater convenience for patients and time-savings for patients and healthcare providers, freeing up healthcare resources for use in managing more complex conditions. However, the current burden of seasonal and perennial allergies in England is unknown.
This retrospective cohort study will identify and characterize patients with seasonal and perennial allergies, quantify the number of allergy-related visits and treatments prescribed, and estimate the associated healthcare resource utilisation (HRU) and costs from 2012-2016. Patients with allergies will be matched to a cohort of patients without a diagnosis or treatment for allergies by age, gender, and GP practice area, and characteristics and HRU/cost measures will be compared across cohorts using descriptive statistics. Costs will be estimated using local unit costs from published resources and adjusted for inflation.
Allergy medication utilisation
- Demographic characteristics
- Concomitant medications
- Death
- Healthcare resource utilisation
Mireia Raluy Callado - Chief Investigator - Evidera, Inc
Mireia Raluy Callado - Corresponding Applicant - Evidera, Inc
- Collaborator -
Carmina Alvaro - Collaborator - Sanofi UK
Catherine Brun-Strang - Collaborator - SANOFI
Jason Simeone - Collaborator - Evidera, Inc
Nicola Sawalhi-Leckenby - Collaborator - Evidera, Inc
Roberto Labella - Collaborator - SANOFI
HES Accident and Emergency;HES Admitted Patient Care;HES Outpatient;ONS Death Registration Data;Patient Level Index of Multiple Deprivation