The prevalence and characteristics of local allergic rhinitis in Poland

Background: Local allergic rhinitis (LAR) is found in some patients with typical symptoms but who have negative skin prick tests and negative IgE to aeroallergens while presenting with positive nasal provocation tests for proper allergens. Little information about the clinical characteristics and prevalence of LAR has been published. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of LAR in patients with symptoms of chronic rhinitis. Methods: In total, 680 patients out of 3400 pre-screened subjects with chronic rhinitis who were at least 5 years old were included from 17 sites in Poland in the study protocol. The following medical history and diagnostic procedures were performed with aeroallergens: skin prick tests, allergen specific serum IgE and nasal provocation tests. In addition to LAR, allergic rhinitis (AR) and non-allergic (NAR) rhinitis were explored and compared. Results: In total, 621 patients were examined. LAR was diagnosed in 109 (17.6%) patients; AR was diagnosed in 251 (40.4%) patients; and NAR was diagnosed in 261 (42%) patients. In the LAR group, younger, non-smoker patients with allergies to D. pteronyssinus or grass pollen were predominant. Polysensitization was more prevalent in AR patients than in LAR patients. Bronchial asthma was at a similar level in patients diagnosed with AR (38%) and LAR (35%) but was significantly less prevalent in patients diagnosed with NAR (16%). The mean age of disease onset was similar between patients with AR and LAR (17.6 +/- 4.8 yrs), and it was significantly lower than that in patients with NAR (24.5 +/- 6.9 yrs, p< 0.05). Conclusions: LAR is a significantly understudied problem in patients of various ages with chronic nasal symptoms. Patients with LAR and AR have similar clinical phenotypes.