The impact of allergic rhinitis on the management of asthma in a working population

Abstract

BackgroundCurrently, little data is available about the management of asthma in the working population. The aim of this study was to describe asthma control and severity among workers according to current or previous allergic rhinitis comorbidity.MethodsA network of occupational physicians participated in this pilot study on a voluntary basis. They included a random sample of salaried workers during their systematic occupational medical check-up. All subjects completed a self-administered questionnaire based on the European Community Respiratory Health Survey screening questionnaire, and if they reported any respiratory symptoms including allergic rhinitis, the physician filled in a medical questionnaire. Current asthma control and severity were evaluated according to 2006 Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines.ResultsA total of 110 occupational physicians from two French regions participated. Out of the 6906 employees screened, 3102 identified respiratory symptoms and completed the medical questionnaire and performed spirometry. Overall, 374 were identified as current asthmatics, including 271 (72.5 %) with allergic rhinitis. Among current asthmatics with current allergic rhinitis (n = 95), 68.8 % had partially controlled asthma or uncontrolled asthma, including 51.6 % who received insufficient anti-asthmatic treatment. Partly or no control asthma was not associated with current rhinitis (OR = 1.4; 95 % CI: 0.8-2.7). Current asthmatics with current or previous allergic rhinitis had a significantly lower risk of emergency department visits than current asthmatics without allergic rhinitis (respectively 11.6, 17.1 and 29.1 %; P = 0.002).ConclusionsMost current asthmatics both with and without allergic rhinitis had uncontrolled asthma, with inappropriate treatment. Future intervention strategies need to be developed for effective control and prevention of asthma in the workplace.

Inflammation and airway remodeling of the lung in guinea pigs with allergic rhinitis

“…Their review of 2010 provided guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of AR and of clinical practices for the management of comorbidities of AR and asthma based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation method ( 3 ). ARIA has been popularized and implemented in >50 countries ( 4 , 5 ). An increasing amount of research on ‘airway consistency’ has been performed, including epidemiology, pathology, clinical diagnosis and treatment ( 6 ).…”

The Cotton Dust-Related Allergic Asthma: Prevalence and Associated Factors among Textile Workers in Nam Dinh Province, Vietnam

“…Allergic rhinitis subjects have been found to have a 3-fold increased risk of asthma compared to subjects without allergic rhinitis (23.8 and 7.5%, respectively) [ 30 ]. A study by Dorothée Provost et al among the French working population revealed that 72.5% of current asthmatics had allergic rhinitis [ 31 ]. In a review, Mike Thomas stated that allergic rhinitis is very common in patients with asthma, with a reported prevalence of up to 100%.…”

Anti‐inflammatory effect of dictamnine on allergic rhinitis via suppression of the LYN kinase‐mediated molecular signaling pathway during mast cell activation

“…Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a type of nasal mucosa inflammatory disease, with itching, sneezing, runny nose, and congestion, and is caused by immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐mediated reactions to inhaled allergens (Greiner et al, 2011). AR affects 10%–40% of the global population, and 15%–38% of the cases have asthma as a comorbidity, suggesting AR may be an independent risk factor for asthma (Provost et al, 2015). The prevalence of AR is estimated to be a great economic burden (Bernstein et al, 2016).…”