Document Detail


Seasonal allergic rhinitis is associated with a detrimental effect on examination performance in United Kingdom teenagers: case-control study.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  17560637     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: Seasonal allergic rhinitis is common globally, and symptoms have been shown to impair learning ability in children in laboratory conditions. Critical examinations in children are often held in the summer during the peak grass pollen season. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether seasonal allergic rhinitis adversely impacts examination performance in United Kingdom teenagers. METHODS: Case-control analysis of 1,834 students (age 15-17 years; 50% girls) sitting for national examinations. Cases were those who dropped 1 or more grades in any of 3 core subjects (mathematics, English, and science) between practice (winter) and final (summer) examinations; controls were those whose grades were either unchanged or improved. Associations between allergic rhinitis symptoms, clinician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis, and allergic rhinitis-related medication use, recorded on examination days immediately before the examination, were assessed using multilevel regression models. RESULTS: Between 38% and 43% of students reported symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis on any 1 of the examination days. There were 662 cases (36% of students) and 1,172 controls. After adjustment, cases were significantly more likely than controls to have had allergic rhinitis symptoms during the examination period (odds ratio [OR], 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.8; P = .002), to have taken any allergic rhinitis medication (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.1-1.7; P = .01), or to have taken sedating antihistamines (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-2.8; P = .03). CONCLUSION: Current symptomatic allergic rhinitis and rhinitis medication use are associated with a significantly increased risk of unexpectedly dropping a grade in summer examinations. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: This is the first time the relationship between symptomatic allergic rhinitis and poor examination performance has been demonstrated, which has significant implications for clinical practice.
Authors:
Samantha Walker; Saba Khan-Wasti; Monica Fletcher; Paul Cullinan; Jessica Harris; Aziz Sheikh
Related Documents :
8028487 - Deaths of amateur scuba divers.
9185287 - The em algorithm and medical studies: a historical link.
20159847 - Medical licensing board characteristics and physician discipline: an empirical analysis.
8341437 - Mortality and social class in maori and nonmaori new zealand men: changes between 1975-...
16100647 - Grand rounds: what is the point?
3611997 - A pc-based free text retrieval system for health care providers. design and development.
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't     Date:  2007-06-08
Journal Detail:
Title:  The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology     Volume:  120     ISSN:  0091-6749     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Allergy Clin. Immunol.     Publication Date:  2007 Aug 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2007-08-01     Completed Date:  2007-09-27     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  1275002     Medline TA:  J Allergy Clin Immunol     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  381-7     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
Education for Health, Warwick, United Kingdom. s.walker@educationforhealth.org.uk
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Anti-Allergic Agents / adverse effects,  therapeutic use
Case-Control Studies
Educational Measurement*
Female
Great Britain
Histamine H1 Antagonists / adverse effects,  therapeutic use
Humans
Hypnotics and Sedatives / adverse effects
Male
Questionnaires
Regression Analysis
Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / drug therapy,  physiopathology,  psychology*
Task Performance and Analysis*
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Anti-Allergic Agents; 0/Histamine H1 Antagonists; 0/Hypnotics and Sedatives

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Social stimuli enhance phencyclidine (PCP) self-administration in rhesus monkeys.
Next Document:  Traditional Chinese herbal remedies for asthma and food allergy.