Association of Estrogen-Related Traits with Allergic Rhinitis

Abstract

Estrogen's role in allergic diseases has recently been of considerable interest. The present article seeks to determine the relationship between estrogen-dependent traits and allergic rhinitis. The following traits were considered: digit ratio, age at menarche, regularity of menstrual cycles, and the waist to hip ratio. The study consisted of surveys and measurement data collected from 768 female university undergraduates. One hundred and sixty eight undergraduates (21.9%) had been diagnosed with allergic rhinitis. The results of logistic regression show that in women with a high digit ratio, indicating exposure to a higher estrogen level in the prenatal period, the risk of allergic rhinitis was almost twice as high as that in those with an average value of the ratio. The difference in the digit ratio was greater for the right than left hand. A significantly higher risk of allergic rhinitis was also observed in women who experienced first menstruation at a younger age. No differences in risk of allergic rhinitis were noted due to general obesity, abdominal obesity, or irregularity of menstrual cycles. We conclude that a higher digit ratio is suggestive of a propensity to allergies in adulthood plausibly having to do with greater exposure to estrogen at early stages of ontogenetic development.

Shared Genetic Liability Between Major Depressive Disorder and Atopic Diseases

“…ESR2 and its product, estrogen receptor β, have been suggested as potential targets for asthma treatment ( 52 ). There is also accumulating evidence supporting estrogens’ role in hay fever and eczema ( 53 , 54 ). In particular, there is a correlation between the mean number of ER-β-positive cells in the nasal mucosa and seasonal allergy symptoms ( 55 ).…”

Estrogen receptors and their roles in the immune and respiratory systems

“…On the other hand, Klis & Wronka, 2017, observed a higher risk of allergic rhinitis in women with greater exposure to estrogen. It is well known that estrogen plays an important involvement in immune response of allergic diseases through specific receptors acting in some cells as: Th2, B cells, basophilic cells, and mast cells (Fan, Che, Yang, & Chen, 2019), as cited before.…”

The Molecular Mechanism of Xinyi San for the Treatment of Senile Rhinitis Based on Network Pharmacology

“…The activation of EGFR signaling pathway was inhibited, which could improve immune adhesion and affect the inflammatory response of nasal mucosa in allergic rhinitis [16]. It was reported in the literature that [17] ESR1 was of great significance in the occurrence and development of rhinitis. HIF1A had a certain impact on the structural changes of nasal mucosa, and had the effects of regulating immunity, promoting inflammation, inducing neovascularization and so on [18].…”