2.2. Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS)

We assessed the nasal symptoms of the study participants using a TNSS. This score was calculated by the sum of scores for each of nasal congestion, sneezing, nasal itching, and rhinorrhea at each time point, using a four-point scale (0–3), where a score of 0 indicates the absence of symptoms, a score of 1 indicates mild tolerable symptoms, a score of 2 indicates annoying but tolerable symptoms, and a score of 3 is reserved for severe symptoms which restrict daily activity. The TNSS was calculated by adding the score for each of the symptoms, to produce a total out of 12 [22].