Allergic rhinitis increases the risk for future asthma 5-fold

There is strong evidence that there is a relationship between allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma, but it is unclear whether there is causal. The aim of this study was to assess prospectively whether AR is a risk factor for the diagnosis of asthma.

A historic cohort study had been recorded prospectively since 1967 in four general practices. The study population consisted of 6491 subjects (n = 2081 patients with AR). Average study follow-up was 8.4 years.

In patients with AR, the frequency of newly diagnosed asthma was 7.6% compared to 1.6% in controls (P lower than 0.001). Having AR was a statistically significant risk factor for asthma (hazard ratio: 4.86).

The study authors concluded that a diagnosis of AR was an independent risk factor for asthma. Having physician-diagnosed AR increased the risk almost fivefold for a future asthma diagnosis.

What symptom works best for diagnosis of allergic rhinitis? The answer has been the same for years: eye itching (http://goo.gl/koioJ).

References:

Is physician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis a risk factor for the development of asthma? L. van den Nieuwenhof et al. Allergy, Feb 2010.
Rhinitis is common in asthma and impairs asthma control. Allergy. 2011.
Poor asthma control? – then look up the nose. The importance of co-morbid rhinitis in patients with asthma http://goo.gl/0nNZg

Image source: Wikipedia, Creative Commons license.
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