Allergic rhinitis and its associated co-morbidities at Bugando Medical Centre in Northwestern Tanzania; A prospective review of 190 cases

Abstract

BackgroundAllergic rhinitis is one of the commonest atopic diseases which contribute to significant morbidity world wide while its epidemiology in Tanzania remains sparse. There was paucity of information regarding allergic rhinitis in our setting; therefore it was important to conduct this study to describe our experience on allergic rhinitis, associated co-morbidities and treatment outcome in patients attending Bugando Medical Centre.MethodsThis was descriptive cross-sectional study involving all patients with a clinical diagnosis of allergic rhinitis at Bugando Medical Centre over a three-month period between June 2011 and August 2011. Data was collected using a pre-tested coded questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS statistical computer software version 17.0.ResultsA total of 190 patients were studied giving the prevalence of allergic rhinitis 14.7%. The median age of the patients was 8.5 years. The male to female ratio was 1:1. Adenoid hypertrophy, tonsillitis, hypertrophy of inferior turbinate, nasal polyps, otitis media and sinusitis were the most common co-morbidities affecting 92.6% of cases and were the major reason for attending hospital services. Sleep disturbance was common in children with adenoids hypertrophy (χ2 = 28.691, P = 0.000). Allergic conjunctivitis was found in 51.9%. The most common identified triggers were dust, strong perfume odors and cold weather (P < 0.05). Strong perfume odors affect female than males (χ2 = 4.583, P = 0.032). In this study family history of allergic rhinitis was not a significant risk factor (P =0.423). The majority of patients (68.8%) were treated surgically for allergic rhinitis co morbidities. Post operative complication and mortality rates were 2.9% and 1.6% respectively. The overall median duration of hospital stay of in-patients was 3 days (2 – 28 days). Most patients (98.4%) had satisfactory results at discharge.ConclusionThe study shows that allergic rhinitis is common in our settings representing 14.7% of all otorhinolaryngology and commonly affecting children and adolescent. Sufferers seek medical services due to co-morbidities of which combination of surgical and medical treatment was needed. High index of suspicions in diagnosing allergic rhinitis and early treatment is recommended.

Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis in Children with Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy Referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital of Ahvaz from 2019 to 2020

“…Moreover, Said et al (2012), in a study in Tanzania, noticed that 92.6% of patients with AR had adenoidal hypertrophy, hypertrophy of nasal subordinate turbinates, nasal polyps, tonsillitis, otitis media, and sinusitis, as the most prevalent comorbidities (20). In our study on children aged 1 to 17 years, 16.6% of patients with adenotonsillar hypertrophy had AR.…”

Olfaction in allergic rhinitis: A systematic review

“…16 Four articles investigating different therapeutic approaches did not address olfactory function as an outcome parameter but only mentioned smell or taste under potential adverse events. [17][18][19][20] Six articles included patients with AR and non-AR and did not provide a separate analysis for the subgroup of patients with AR. [21][22][23][24][25][26] Two articles were excluded because they only assessed the immediate effects of an allergic challenge, therefore providing little clinical information.…”

Association of allergic rhinitis with obstructive sleep apnea

“…In addition, symptoms brought by AR such as apnea and snoring were also considered to be risk factors for sleep-disordered breathing events and contributed to the development of OSA. [61] In addition, some studies had demonstrated that several chemical mediators and inflammatory cytokines play interaction roles between AR and OSA, including histamine, cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysLTs), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), and interleukin-1 (IL-4) and so on. [58,62] Given the impact of AR to OSA, it seemed logical to investigate their relationship which may help understand overlapped subjects.…”

“…[63] Adenotonsillar hypertrophy (AH) was a common comorbidity of pediatric AR, it was reported that 92.6% of AR children also suffered AH . [61] Furthermore, AH is the main cause of OSAS for children aged 3 to 6, yet adults patients were often caused by obesity. [64] This meta-analysis showed no significant difference in the prevalence of AR in OSA and non-OSA patients (children and adults).…”