The effects of phototherapy on quality of life in allergic rhinitis cases

Phototherapy, using a combination of UV-A (25%), UV-B (5%) and visible light (70%), is known to be affective in suppressing the clinical symptoms of allergic rhinitis significantly. It has also been shown that phototherapy locally reduces the number of inflammatory cells and the level of mediators. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of phototherapy in improving the quality of life of patients with allergic rhinitis using Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire, besides checking the total symptom scores of 100 consecutive cases. When the previous and after treatment data were compared, statistically significant differences were found in all quality of life variables (P < 0.001). These results suggest that phototherapy is an effective method to relieve symptoms of allergic rhinitis and has a positive effect on the quality of life of allergic patients. Further studies are needed to plan an ongoing treatment of phototherapy at certain intervals for continuous relief of symptoms and a better and longstanding quality of life.