Study for Assessing Prevalence and Phenotypes of Local Allergic Rhinitis

Abstract

Background: Rhinitis is a global health problem that affects 20-40% of the population in developed countries and whose incidence is rising. Rising is characterized by one or more of the following symptoms: nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing and itching. It can be induced by different mechanisms and involves several etiological agents. Noninfectious rhinitis has traditionally been classified as allergic rhinitis (AR) and nonallergic rhinitis (NAR). Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and phenotypes of local allergic rhinitis in patients with clinical manifestations of AR without evidence of systemic IgE sensitization. Methods: This cross sectional, case-control, and nonrandomized study was conducted on 120 patients with clinical manifestations suggestive of allergic rhinitis (selected from the allergy outpatient clinic at Ain Shams university hospitals and 20 healthy controls. Results: Local allergic rhinitis was diagnosed in 80% of females and 20% of males. While the patients with systemic allergic rhinitis reached 37.5% for males, and 62.5% were females. Regarding the persistence of symptoms in local allergic rhinitis it reached 88% in comparison to 67.5% in systemic allergic rhinitis. The symptoms were intermittent in 12 % of cases with local allergic rhinitis in comparison to 32.5% in systemic allergic rhinitis. The severe symptoms outweighed the mild symptoms by nearly 50%. The skin prick test reached 80% positive in cases of LAR. Those with normal levels of total IgE level, the nasal provocation test was positive in 12.5% of cases and 7.5% negative.