Clinicoepidemiological Profile of Children with Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-sectional Study
Introduction: Allergic rhinitis is a fairly common problem in children. The worldwide prevalence varies from 2 to 24% in children, with a number of factors at play. There have been very few studies from India that have looked at the prevalence of allergic rhinitis, and those studies are limited to v...
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Jaypee Brothers Medical Publisher
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Medical Academics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.jmaacms.com/doi/JOMA/pdf/10.5005/jp-journals-11003-0152 |
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| author | Poornima Modi Vijay Ganesh Leena Singhal |
| author_facet | Poornima Modi Vijay Ganesh Leena Singhal |
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| description | Introduction: Allergic rhinitis is a fairly common problem in children. The worldwide prevalence varies from 2 to 24% in children, with a number of factors at play. There have been very few studies from India that have looked at the prevalence of allergic rhinitis, and those studies are limited to very small geographical areas. Owing to the rather nonlife-threatening nature of symptoms, allergic rhinitis remains largely an underdiagnosed condition. Nevertheless, it is a cause of deterioration in the quality of life, particularly school absenteeism and reduced play among children. There have been very few studies from developing countries, including India, that have looked at the clinical spectrum of allergic rhinitis. Due to the nonavailability of data regarding the severity and perenniality of symptoms, the distribution of symptoms of nasal block vs rhinorrhea according to different age-groups, and the association with comorbid conditions, the treatment guidelines are rather nonspecific and do not take into account the case-based approach to treatment, which is therefore left to the discretion of the treating physician. Allergic rhinitis has been variously classified, but the most accepted classification is based on the ARIA guidelines (allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma), which classify allergic rhinitis based on the severity and duration of symptoms. The aim of our study is to gather information regarding the symptom distribution of cases of allergic rhinitis, which can help provide a better idea about the disease epidemiology in our population. This can thereby help in the formulation of region-specific guidelines that are more suitable for our part of the world.
Materials and methods: To study the clinicoepidemiological profile of children with allergic rhinitis, a cross-sectional study was carried out from March to July 2024. Children above 2 years of age presenting with allergic rhinitis in the outpatient department were enrolled in the study. After taking informed written consent from the parents, a questionnaire regarding their symptoms was filled, followed by a detailed clinical examination. The results thereafter were analyzed statistically.
Results: The maximum age-group of presentation was 6–12 years, with a prevalence of 59%, followed by 3–5 years (36%), and the lowest prevalence was in 2–3 years (5.1%). About 60% of the affected children were males and 40% were females. Around 73% of children had sneezing as the predominant symptom, while a blocked nose was present in 27% of children. Associated comorbidities like allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis, or hyperactive airway disease were present in 17% of children, while 83% of children had no associated comorbidities. In terms of severity, around two-thirds of cases (60%) were mild in nature, whereas 40% were moderate to severe. About 63% of cases of allergic rhinitis were intermittent (present for <4 days a week), while 37% of cases were persistent (>4 days a week). There was a strong association between severity and duration of allergic rhinitis, with the majority of the mild cases being of the intermittent type, with a <i>p</i>-value of 0.00.
Conclusion: Allergic rhinitis is a common problem in the pediatric age-group and a cause of significant deterioration in the quality of life among children, as evidenced by 40% of cases being of the moderate to severe variety, with a significant effect on school absenteeism or play. Sneezing was the predominant symptom in our study (73%), which can be used to tailor the treatment of patients. Our study showed a lesser percentage of children with comorbidities like rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis, and asthma associated with allergic rhinitis, as compared to earlier studies. It requires further studies with a varied population and longer follow-up to establish such an association. Our study showed a strong association between mild and intermittent cases, with 85% of mild cases being intermittent and 83% of moderate to severe cases being persistent. This finding can be used to customize the treatment of patients with novel therapies like intranasal steroids, although larger-scale studies are needed to support this data. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0a96304c8a704ae08cef2ea7cc195d1a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2581-8279 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Jaypee Brothers Medical Publisher |
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| series | Journal of Medical Academics |
| spelling | doaj-art-0a96304c8a704ae08cef2ea7cc195d1a2025-08-20T03:40:43ZengJaypee Brothers Medical PublisherJournal of Medical Academics2581-82792025-06-018171010.5005/jp-journals-11003-01523Clinicoepidemiological Profile of Children with Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-sectional StudyPoornima Modi0Vijay Ganesh1https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2053-397XLeena Singhal2Poornima Modi, Department of Pediatrics, Army College of Medical Sciences and Base Hospital, Delhi Cantonment, Delhi, India, Phone: +91 8376947474Department of Pediatrics, Army College of Medical Sciences and Base Hospital, Delhi Cantonment, Delhi, IndiaDepartment of Pediatrics, Army College of Medical Sciences and Base Hospital, Delhi Cantonment, Delhi, IndiaIntroduction: Allergic rhinitis is a fairly common problem in children. The worldwide prevalence varies from 2 to 24% in children, with a number of factors at play. There have been very few studies from India that have looked at the prevalence of allergic rhinitis, and those studies are limited to very small geographical areas. Owing to the rather nonlife-threatening nature of symptoms, allergic rhinitis remains largely an underdiagnosed condition. Nevertheless, it is a cause of deterioration in the quality of life, particularly school absenteeism and reduced play among children. There have been very few studies from developing countries, including India, that have looked at the clinical spectrum of allergic rhinitis. Due to the nonavailability of data regarding the severity and perenniality of symptoms, the distribution of symptoms of nasal block vs rhinorrhea according to different age-groups, and the association with comorbid conditions, the treatment guidelines are rather nonspecific and do not take into account the case-based approach to treatment, which is therefore left to the discretion of the treating physician. Allergic rhinitis has been variously classified, but the most accepted classification is based on the ARIA guidelines (allergic rhinitis and its impact on asthma), which classify allergic rhinitis based on the severity and duration of symptoms. The aim of our study is to gather information regarding the symptom distribution of cases of allergic rhinitis, which can help provide a better idea about the disease epidemiology in our population. This can thereby help in the formulation of region-specific guidelines that are more suitable for our part of the world. Materials and methods: To study the clinicoepidemiological profile of children with allergic rhinitis, a cross-sectional study was carried out from March to July 2024. Children above 2 years of age presenting with allergic rhinitis in the outpatient department were enrolled in the study. After taking informed written consent from the parents, a questionnaire regarding their symptoms was filled, followed by a detailed clinical examination. The results thereafter were analyzed statistically. Results: The maximum age-group of presentation was 6–12 years, with a prevalence of 59%, followed by 3–5 years (36%), and the lowest prevalence was in 2–3 years (5.1%). About 60% of the affected children were males and 40% were females. Around 73% of children had sneezing as the predominant symptom, while a blocked nose was present in 27% of children. Associated comorbidities like allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis, or hyperactive airway disease were present in 17% of children, while 83% of children had no associated comorbidities. In terms of severity, around two-thirds of cases (60%) were mild in nature, whereas 40% were moderate to severe. About 63% of cases of allergic rhinitis were intermittent (present for <4 days a week), while 37% of cases were persistent (>4 days a week). There was a strong association between severity and duration of allergic rhinitis, with the majority of the mild cases being of the intermittent type, with a <i>p</i>-value of 0.00. Conclusion: Allergic rhinitis is a common problem in the pediatric age-group and a cause of significant deterioration in the quality of life among children, as evidenced by 40% of cases being of the moderate to severe variety, with a significant effect on school absenteeism or play. Sneezing was the predominant symptom in our study (73%), which can be used to tailor the treatment of patients. Our study showed a lesser percentage of children with comorbidities like rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis, and asthma associated with allergic rhinitis, as compared to earlier studies. It requires further studies with a varied population and longer follow-up to establish such an association. Our study showed a strong association between mild and intermittent cases, with 85% of mild cases being intermittent and 83% of moderate to severe cases being persistent. This finding can be used to customize the treatment of patients with novel therapies like intranasal steroids, although larger-scale studies are needed to support this data.https://www.jmaacms.com/doi/JOMA/pdf/10.5005/jp-journals-11003-0152allergic rhinitisasthmaatopic dermatitisrhinoconjunctivitisschool absenteeism |
| spellingShingle | Poornima Modi Vijay Ganesh Leena Singhal Clinicoepidemiological Profile of Children with Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-sectional Study Journal of Medical Academics allergic rhinitis asthma atopic dermatitis rhinoconjunctivitis school absenteeism |
| title | Clinicoepidemiological Profile of Children with Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-sectional Study |
| title_full | Clinicoepidemiological Profile of Children with Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-sectional Study |
| title_fullStr | Clinicoepidemiological Profile of Children with Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-sectional Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Clinicoepidemiological Profile of Children with Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-sectional Study |
| title_short | Clinicoepidemiological Profile of Children with Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-sectional Study |
| title_sort | clinicoepidemiological profile of children with allergic rhinitis a cross sectional study |
| topic | allergic rhinitis asthma atopic dermatitis rhinoconjunctivitis school absenteeism |
| url | https://www.jmaacms.com/doi/JOMA/pdf/10.5005/jp-journals-11003-0152 |
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