Allergic shiners assessed via computer-analyzed digital pictures correlate with chronicity and severity of allergic rhinitis

The study authors developed a novel computerized method to measure allergic shiners and enrolled a cohort of children with or without allergic rhinitis.

A standardized digital photograph was taken during each visit, and a modified Pediatric Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire was completed. Subject global assessment for nose symptoms and subject global assessment for eye symptoms (SGAE) were self-recorded daily.

The study included 126 children with allergic rhinitis and 123 healthy control subjects.

Shiners were darker and larger in children with allergic rhinitis. Darkness and sizes of allergic shiners were paradoxically inversely correlated. Darkness of allergic shiners positively correlated with the duration of allergic rhinitis, and SGAE values but sizes of allergic shiners did not.

Shiners were found to be darker in children with scores of eye symptoms of greater than 6 and SGAE values of greater than 0. Shiners were larger in children with scores of other symptoms of greater than 9 and activity limitations of greater than 4.

The authors concluded that computer-analyzed allergic shiners correlate with the chronicity and severity of allergic rhinitis.

References:
Quantitative assessment of allergic shiners in children with allergic rhinitis. Chien-Han Chen et al. JACI, Volume 123, Issue 3, Pages 665-671.e6 (March 2009)
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