BACKGROUND The visual analogue scale (VAS) is a simple and useful tool to assess the severity of allergic rhinitis. Whether a pretreatment VAS score can guide appropriate medication is unclear. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate whether a pretreatment VAS score could be used to predict therapeutic response. METHODS A prospective 4-week cohort study involving 101 allergic rhinitis patients was carried out. All patients were treated with triamcinolone acetonide aqueous nasal spray 220 μg once daily for 28 days. The treatment outcomes were evaluated using VAS scores (0-10 cm), total nasal symptoms scores (TNSSs), nasal mucociliary clearance times (NMCCTs), and global symptom controls (GSCs). The minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) method was used to separate the patients into with and without improvement groups. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive value of pretreatment VAS scores in relation to MCIDs after treatment. RESULTS Pretreatment VAS scores showed a positive correlation with pretreatment TNSSs and NMCCTs (ρ = 0.66, p < 0.001 and r = 0.44, p < 0.001, respectively), and a negative correlation with GSCs after treatment (r = -0.53, p < 0.001). The MCID values of TNSSs and NMCCTs were 3.19 and 2.78, respectively. The cutoff value of pretreatment VAS ranged between 6.5 and 7.7 points, with an average value of 7.1. CONCLUSION A pretreatment VAS score of 7 or higher was associated with an unfavorable treatment outcome, which suggests the potential therapeutic predictive value of VAS scoring.

中文翻译：

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视觉模拟量表是否可以预测变应性鼻炎的治疗结果？

背景技术视觉模拟量表（VAS）是评估过敏性鼻炎的严重程度的简单且有用的工具。尚不清楚治疗前的VAS评分是否可以指导适当的药物治疗。目的这项研究的目的是评估是否可以使用治疗前的VAS评分来预测治疗反应。方法进行了一项为期4周的前瞻性队列研究，涉及101名过敏性鼻炎患者。所有患者均接受每天220μg的曲安奈德鼻腔喷雾剂治疗28天。使用VAS评分（0-10厘米），总鼻症状评分（TNSS），鼻粘膜纤毛清除时间（NMCCT）和总体症状对照（GSC）评估治疗结果。最小临床重要差异（MCID）方法用于将患者分为有改善组和无改善组。进行受试者工作特征曲线分析，以评估治疗前VAS评分相对于MCID的预测价值。结果治疗前VAS评分与治疗前TNSS和NMCCT呈正相关（分别为ρ= 0.66，p <0.001和r = 0.44，p <0.001），与治疗后GSC呈负相关（r = -0.53，p <0.001） ）。TNSS和NMCCT的MCID值分别为3.19和2.78。预处理VAS的临界值介于6.5和7.7点之间，平均值为7.1。结论术前VAS评分为7或更高与治疗效果不佳相关，这表明VAS评分具有潜在的治疗预测价值。