Non-allergic nasal inflammation common

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among adolescents and adults with nasal inflammation or "rhinitis", about one fourth of cases are not attributable to allergies, results of a Danish study indicate.

"Rhinitis is a common condition, which affects 20 to 40 percent of the western population and the (rate) is rising," Dr. Ellen Molgaard and colleagues from Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, note in the journal Allergy. Patients with rhinitis can be separated into two groups, those with allergies (allergic rhinitis) and those without allergies but still have nasal symptoms (nonallergic rhinitis).

The investigators mailed a questionnaire on respiratory health and medication usage to a random sample of 10,877 subjects between the ages of 14 and 44 years. Of 5,849 subjects who returned the survey, 1,186 reported a history of symptoms suggestive of asthma and/or allergy, or were using medications for these conditions. The subjects were interviewed about respiratory symptoms, and were tested for asthma and allergies.

Overall, 77 percent of the subjects with rhinitis had allergic rhinitis and 23 percent had non-allergic rhinitis.

Compared to subjects with allergic rhinitis, those with non-allergic rhinitis were more likely to be female, to have persistent symptoms within the last 4 weeks, and to have recurring headaches.

In general, allergic and non-allergic rhinitis produced similar symptoms and were comparable in severity. However, sneezing and itchy eyes were more common with allergic rhinitis.

SOURCE: Allergy, September 2007.