چکیده (انگلیسی):

Background: Second hand tobacco smoke (SHS) and overweight/obesity are risk factors for asthma and
lower airway respiratory symptoms. We investigated whether SHS or overweight/obesity were also
associated with allergic or non-allergic rhinitis.
Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained during the second SAPALDIA Study. Interviewer administered
questionnaires were completed by 8047 participants from 8 communities in Switzerland. Blood
was collected from 5841 participants and tested for allergen specific IgE. Allergic rhinitis was defined as
nasal symptoms with detectable IgE. Data were analysed by multinomial logistic regression with four
outcome categories defined according to the presence or absence of rhinitis and/or atopy.
Results: The prevalence of allergic rhinitis was 885 (15.2%) and non-allergic rhinitis 323 (5.5%). The risk
of allergic rhinitis was increased in subjects with physician diagnosed asthma (Relative Risk Ratio 6.81;
95%CI 5.39, 8.6), maternal atopy (1.56; 1.27, 1.92) and paternal atopy (1.41; 1.11, 1.79). Older subjects were
at lower risk (0.96; 0.95,0.97 per year), as were those raised on a farm (0.64; 0.49,0.84), with older
siblings (0.92; 0.86,0.97 per sib) or from rural areas. The risk of non-allergic rhinitis was also increased in
subjects with physician diagnosed asthma (4.02; 2.86, 5.67), reduced in males (0.59; 0.46, 0.77), but not
associated with upbringing on a farm or older siblings. There were no significant associations of SHS or
overweight/obesity with either form of rhinitis.
Conclusions: Allergic and non-allergic rhinitis have different risk factors apart from asthma. There are
significant regional variations within Switzerland, which are not explained by the factors examined.