Source: Annual Congress 2002 - Epidemiology of asthma, rhinitis and allergy
Disease area: Airway diseases

Abstract

Objective. To describe clinical aspects of allergic rhinitis (AR) in a representative sample of European adults.
Design. Two-step cross-sectional, population-based study in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and UK. Step1: screening for AR by computer-assisted telephone interview. Step2: clinical examination of a subset of positive subjects, including specific IgE tests (grass pollen, tree pollen, weed pollen, dust, mould and animal danders) and a disease-specific questionnaire.
Results. Step 1: 9,645 telephone interviews were conducted (February to April 2001); 3,856 subjects (40%) were screened positive. Step 2: 725 subjects accepted to undergo a clinical examination (May to August 2001); 411 (57%) of them were diagnosed with AR. Only 56% of the subjects with AR had reported a previous diagnosis by a physician. Sensitisation to grass was the most frequent, followed by dust and trees. Sensitisation was associated with several factors, including country, age, and smoking status. AR was more frequent when the mother also had AR. Self-reported asthma was a frequent comorbidity (22%). The investigators categorised 48% of the subjects as having seasonal allergic rhinitis; based on the new ARIA definition, 71% of the subjects diagnosed with AR could be categorised as intermittent.
Conclusions: Sensitisation, symptoms and diagnosis represent different aspects of rhinitis.

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V. Bauchau, S. R. Durham, D. P. Strachan (Braine-l'Alleud, Belgium; London, United Kingdom). Epidemiology of allergic rhinitis: clinical aspects in a population-based sample of adults from six European countries. Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 801

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