Deranged Pulmonary Function Tests in Allergic Rhinitis in North Indian Patients

Abstract

Introduction:Significant associations between allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma have been established and as a result of bronchial hyper-responsiveness, patients can have deranged pulmonary function tests. We aim to compare previous such studies with the result of our study done in India wherein we identify among allergic rhinitis patients who despite not having overt asthmatic symptoms, have pulmonary function derangements, quite possibly at a subclinical disease level.Materials and Methods:We studied 74 patients of allergic rhinitis and after meticulous clinical work up, they underwent blood tests including hemogram, absolute eosinophil count, and total serum IgE followed by pulmonary function tests.Results:Out of 74 patients 60 (81%) had intermittent allergic rhinitis whereas only 14 (19%) had persistent allergic rhinitis. Pulmonary function tests showed reversible obstruction, ie, >10% improvement in FEV1 with inhaled bronchodilators (as seen in asthma) in 18 (24.3%), mild obstruction in 14, and moderate obstruction in 4 cases.Conclusion:The study emphasizes the importance of pulmonary symptoms and the performance of pulmonary function tests in cases of allergic rhinitis patients to rule out latent asthma.

Gambaran Riwayat Asma pada Pasien Rinitis Alergi di RSUP Dr. M. Djamil Padang

“…Monga dan kawankawan menjelaskan bahwa hasil yang didapatkan dapat bervariasi dengan studi lainnya bergantung pada karakteristik populasi yang diteliti dan tingkat layanan kesehatan dari populasi yang diteliti. 27 Gejala rinitis alergi yang paling banyak ditemukan pada pasien rinitis alergi dengan riwayat asma berupa gejala bersin-bersin sebanyak 13 orang (100%) diikuti dengan rinore 10 orang (76,9%) dan hidung tersumbat juga sebanyak 10 orang (76,9%). Hasil penelitian oleh Jaggi et al di India tahun 2019, menunjukkan hasil yang selaras.…”

Rationale and Design of a Panel Study Investigating Six Health Effects of Airborne Pollen: The EPOCHAL Study

“…Individuals with allergic rhinitis (AR) frequently have co-existing asthma (estimated at 10-40%) (17), while another 45% of AR individuals without asthma have bronchial hyperresponsiveness (18), an intermediate step toward asthma development. Selected studies have observed that individuals with AR can have an abnormal pulmonary function test (PFT) (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24) and fractional excretion of nitric oxide (FeNO) (25)(26)(27)(28)(29) even in the absence of asthma, suggesting that pollen is an important trigger for lower airway inflammation. In addition, FeNO has been shown to increase in sensitized individuals at times of higher pollen counts (27) and has been associated with the number of positive reactions on the SPT (25).…”