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Original Article
 

Prevalence of Asthma and Severity of Allergic Rhinitis Comparing 2 Perennial Allergens: House Dust Mites and Parietaria judaica Pollen
 

A Sala-Cunill,1,2 J Bartra,3 G Dalmau,4 R Tella,5 E Botey,6 E Raga,7 A Valero,3 on behalf of *#

1Allergy Section, Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Universitari Vall d´Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
2Allergy Research Unit, Allergy Department, Institut de Recerca Vall d’Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
3Allergy Unit, Pneumology and Allergy Department, Hospital Clinic-IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
4Allergy Unit, Hospital Universitari Joan XIII Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain
5Allergy Unit, Hospital Universitari Josep Trueta, Girona, Catalonia, Spain
6Allergy Unit, Hospital Universitari Dexeus, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
7Allergy Unit, Hospital Plató, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
*Comitè d’Al.lergia Respiratòria de Catalunya, Spain. O Asensio de la Cruz, JL Eseverri Asín, E Güell Figueras, R Muñoz, A Puiggròs Casas, A Roger Reig, MM San Miguel Moncín, A Torredemer Palau
#Researchers in alphabetic order: E Alcoceba, P Amat, M Baltasar, M Basagaña, V Cardona, M Cerdà, L Ferré, V Gàzquez, V Gonzalez, R Guspí, S Lara, M Lluch, Ll Marquès, N Rubira, M Rueda, R Serra, J Simón

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2013; Vol. 23(3): 145-151
 

 Abstract


Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an increasingly prevalent worldwide disease that has a considerable impact on quality of life and health care costs. Asthma and AR may be part of the same disease, with AR leading to an increased risk of asthma.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of asthma in patients with AR due to house dust mites (HDMs) or Parietaria judaica and analyze the characteristics of asthma and AR in each group.

Methods: Cross-sectional, multicenter study with recording of demographic and clinical characteristics. All patients had AR confirmed by symptoms and a positive skin prick test to HDMs or P judaica. They were classified according to the severity and frequency of AR following the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) and modified ARIA criteria and according to the severity of asthma following the Global Initiative for Asthma criteria.

Results: We studied 395 patients (226 in the HDM group and 169 in the P judaica group) with a mean (SD) age of 43 (15.3) years. Using the modified ARIA criteria, we detected more severe and persistent AR in the P judaica group than in the HDM group (44.5% vs 24.8%, P<.001). Nevertheless, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of the severity or prevalence (50% in HDM vs 47.9% in P judaica, P=.685) of asthma.

Conclusion: AR due to P judaica pollen, which behaves like a perennial allergen, is associated with the same prevalence of asthma and with more severe rhinitis than AR due to HDMs.

Key words: Rhinitis. Parietaria. House dust mite. Asthma. ARIA. GINA. Allergy. Pollen. Monosensitized.