Prospective study on prevalence of aeroallergens in allergic rhinitis in a teaching hospital, Telangana

Abstract

Allergic rhinitis is an IgE antibody mediated, inflammatory disease.The most commonly encountered risk factors for allergic rhinitis are presence of atopy, asthma, eczema, and other allergic illnesses. Identification of aeroallergens helps in patient counseling to modify life style and prevent exposure to triggering factors.To determine the prevalence of aeroallergens in allergic rhinitis. This was a prospective study done in cases of allergic rhinitis over a duration of one year from January 2019 to December 2019. Complete history taking was followed by ENT examination including Rhinoscopy and endoscopy, peripheral smear examination for eosinophils, absolute eosinophil count testing and Skin prick testing with known allergens and serum IgE level testing. A total of 145 cases of allergic rhinitis were studied. The patient age ranged from 11 years to 50 years. The male to female ratio was 0.5:1. Most common allergen causing allergic rhinitis was dust mite which constituted about 44.1% cases. The next common allergen was Mold which accounted for 20.6% cases. We conclude that there are numerous aeroallergens that can cause allergic rhinitis and the most common ones are dust mites, molds, house dust, animal dander, pollen and others. Correct identification of the aeroallergen helps in the proper counseling of the patients so as to prevent exposure to those aeroallergens thereby reducing the episodes and severity of allergic rhinitis.