Association between asthma and rhinitis

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: It has been suggested that'both asthma and allergic rhinitis are manifestations of a single disease and they are related epidemiologically and pathophysiologically. The objective was to assess the relationship between asthma and allergic rhinitis in terms of serum total IgE (tlgE) and allergic sensiti-satipn in children. METHODS: Children attending grade 5 in 17 schools in the Western Province of Sri Lanka were recruited to the study. Data were collected using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. Their serum total IgE (tlgE) and allergen-specific IgE (slgE) for five common aeroallergens (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinusr Blomia tropicalis, cockroach, cat epithelium and dander, grass pollen) were measured by ImmunoCAP method. RESULTS: A total of 640 schoolchildren were recruited. Their mean age was 10 years (SD ± 0.5) Prevalence (95% CI) of asthma and rhinitis was 17% (13.7-20.3) and 21.4% (17.8-25.1) respectively. Male preponderance was seen for both diseases, but was significant only for rhinitis. Among children with asthma, 44.4% had rhinitis. The geometric mean tlgE level was higher in children with asthma (804.6 kU/L) than with rhinitis (708.9 kU/L), but the difference was not statistically significant. Univariate analysis showed that sensitization to allergens from cat epithelium and dander was strongly associated with rhinitis (OR 2.104, 95% CI 1.1.16 - 3.969, P = 0.022) but not with asthma. CONCLUSION: Asthma and rhinitis appear to be different in our study population with respect to sensitising allergens and gender. The risk factors and development of these two diseases may vary in different populations.