Relationship between Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis in Terms of Prevalence and Severity in East-Azerbaijan, Iran

Background: Asthma and Allergic rhinitis (AR) are frequently concurrent diseases. Epidemiological, immunological, and clinical studies reported increasing evidence of the links between AR and asthma. Epidemiologically, up to 40% of patients with AR also have asthma, and up to 80% of patients with asthma experience nasal symptoms. Furthermore, patients with AR are at three times the risk of developing asthma compared with those without AR. Method: This cross-sectional study was carried out during one year from all patients between 0-16 years who were referred to allergy and ENT clinics with symptoms of chronic cough (more than four weeks) or upper respiratory tract symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, and nasal congestion. Data and diagnosis were classified according to the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and the AR criteria and its Impact on Asthma guidelines (ARIA), respectively. Results: 190 (120 individuals with asthma and 70 individuals with AR) were enrolled in the study. The mean age of patients with asthma was 9.14±3.13, and 43.3% were female. The severity of asthma was classified as mild (20%), moderate (70.8%), and severe (9.2%). The mean age of patients with rhinitis was 10.13±3.45 years, and 35.7% were female. Rhinitis was classified as intermittent (40%) and persistent (60%). The prevalence of AR in the asthma group was 42 individuals (35%). Twenty-nine cases of them (24.2%) had intermittent AR, and 13 (10.8%) cases had persistent AR. The prevalence of asthma in AR was 18 cases (25.7%) 3 cases (4.3%) had mild asthma, 12 cases (17/1%) had moderate asthma, and 3 cases (4.3%) had severe asthma. A significant correlation was found (P<0.0001) between the severity of AR and asthma. Conclusion: Based on the findings of our study, there is a significant relationship between the severity of asthma and AR in patients with asthma and AR. The results show that asthma prevalence is high in patients with AR. Also, the frequency of AR in patients with asthma is significantly higher.