RESUMO
Allergic rhinitis (AR),with an increasing uptrend of the prevalence in many developed and developing countries,is a global health problem that affects people of all ages and ethnic groups.However,data on the prevalence of self-reported AR in western China are rare.This study investigated the epidemiological features of self-reported AR in western China.In the cross-sectional,population-based study,a validated questionnaire survey on self-reported AR was carried out in 4 major cities in western China by multistage,stratified and cluster sampling,from January to December 2008.The total prevalence rate was 34.3％,with 32.3％ (Chongqing),34.3％ (Chengdu),37.9％ (Urumqi),30.3％ (Nanning),respectively.The prevalence presented to increase with age before 30 years old while decrease with age after 30 years old,and the highest prevalence was in 19-30 years group in Chongqing,Chengdu and Nanning which significantly showed “persistent and moderate-severe” type (P＜0.0001); In Urumqi,there wasn't a significant increasing or decreasing trend of prevalence rate with age but with an “intermittent and mild”predominance (P＜0.0001).There were no distinct sexual differences in prevalence rates in the 4 cities.The morbidity was positively related to monthly average temperature and sunshine (r=0.76645,P=0.0036; r=0.67303,P=0.0165),but negatively associated with relative humidity (r=-0.64391,P=0.0238) in Urumqi.Interestingly,the monthly morbidity was negatively associate with average temperature,sunshine and precipitation in Nanning (r=-0.81997,P=0.0011; r=-0.60787,P=0.0360; r=-0.59443,P=0.0415).Self-reported AR is becoming common in western China with a rapid development in recent years,affecting about three persons out of ten.The climatic factors may have an indirect impact on the prevalence rate through the effects on the local allergens.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is commonly sub-classified into seasonal and perennial rhinitis. The recent "Allergic Rhinitis and its impact on Asthma (ARIA) Workshop" proposed to replace these terms by intermittent vs persistent AR. But the validity of this new classification is still largely unknown. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Three hundred-eleven allergic rhinitis patients were included in this study. Patients were categorized into seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) and perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) groups, according to sensitized allergens. Twenty-eight items questionnaire filled out by patients were designed for this study. Based on the questionnaire, patients were classified into either intermittent or persistent AR. Patients' information and associated factors were analysed between the groups. RESULTS: Within the population with AR, 58% of the subjects had persistent AR. About 41% of the patients were classified as moderate-severe persistent AR. There was no association between the intermittent/persistent and the SAR/PAR classifications. Subjects with persistent AR had more severe symptoms, higher rate of self-awareness and had been previously diagnosed with AR. There were no significant difference in sensitization to allergens. However, grass, tree, house dust mite allergy is more common in persistent AR than in intermittent AR. More patients in "Blockers" and "Mixed" groups had persistent AR. CONCLUSION: A statistical comparison of the two classifications showed that they cannot be used interchangeably, as they do not represent the same stratum of disease. There is also an evidence that the persistent type describes a distinct group with characteristics that differentiates them from intermittent AR. These results support the validity of the new ARIA classification as shown in other studies.