Prevalence of Aeroallergens in Patients with Allergic Rhinitis

Background and Allergic rhinitis is one of the most common allergic diseases with increasing incidence worldwide. It influences the hygienic and economic situation, thereby life quality of patients. Identification and characterization of aeroallergens patterns in each region, as one of the main causes of allergic rhinitis development, is an essential step in preventing and controlling the disease. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of aeroallergens in patients with allergic rhinitis in Tehran. In a cross-sectional study 400 asthmatic patients attending Khorshid Allergy and Immunology Clinic in Tehran (January 2013 to 2014) were recruited. Patient information was recorded and those with allergic rhinitis have been identified. Their sensitivity to 12 common allergen extracts was determined by skin prick test. SPSS V.20 was applied for data analysis. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis was 40% (n= 165) with similar ratio between males and females. All patients were susceptible to at least one allergen, and 1.3% was completely susceptible to all allergens. The most frequent positive skin reaction was due to outdoor allergens (20.54%) i.e. pollen. Indoor allergens included mites (66.46%), hair and skin of animals (78.18%), and fungi (37.17%). Indoor and outdoor aeroallergens were more prevalent in 1-6 year- old children, and 7 year and older, respectively. We observed a high prevalence of allergic rhinitis which was similar to the global statistics. This calls for identifying the causative factors, thereby developing measures to control and prevent severe allergic outcomes in patients.