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
Conclusion: Local allergic rhinitis is a prevalent entity in patient evaluated with rhinitis