Prevalence of Allergy Symptoms and Associated Medication Use in a Sample of College Seniors

The authors surveyed a random sample of college seniors at a university in Boston to determine the prevalence of allergy symptoms and the students' use of medications to relieve symptoms. Of the 400 individuals queries, 58.2% reported some symptoms during the previous year, and 63.0% of that group said their symptoms were moderate to severe. Just over 93.8% of the student respondents used medications to treat symptoms; 91.1% used over-the-counter (OTC) medications, and 55.5% used prescription medications. More than one third had used OTC antihistamines before taking an examination during the previous year. Allergy-like symptoms and associated medication use are common among college-aged students. The authors call for further research to determine whether these OTC and prescription medications affect academic performance.