Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, South Korea.
The Environmental Health Center (Atopic Dermatitis and Allergic Rhinitis), Jeju National University, Jeju, South Korea.
PLoS One. 2019 Jan 17;14(1):e0210840. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0210840. eCollection 2019.
It is difficult to accurately predict the natural course of allergic rhinitis (AR), because it is affected by a wide variety of environmental influences, as well as genetic predisposition. Considering the high prevalence of allergic rhinitis in children and adolescents, caregivers should be given appropriate information regarding the disease course. This study aimed to understand the prognosis of allergic rhinitis by examining the relationship between allergic sensitization and rhinitis symptoms during this developmental period.
This cross-sectional study included 1069 children aged 9-16 years from the Korean International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood Survey database who had completed health questionnaires, and for whom skin prick test results were available. Data were collected during May 2016. The distribution of sensitization and allergic symptoms was compared by age groups (elementary, middle, and high school). Data were analyzed using linear-by-linear analysis.
Sensitization to at least one tested allergen differed by age (59.2%, 58.3%, 68.2%, in elementary, middle, and high school students, respectively; p = 0.025), and seasonal allergen sensitization (35.0%, 37.1%, 53.9%, respectively) increased with age (p < 0.001). Conversely, the proportion of rhinitis symptoms among sensitized children decreased as age increased (58.80%, 52.90%, 49.70%, respectively; p = 0.047). However, the rate of non-allergic rhinitis was age-independent.
With increasing age during childhood and adolescence, symptomatic allergic rhinitis decreases; thus, subclinical allergic rhinitis increases. This suggests that the symptoms of later-sensitized children are less clearly manifested, or that the symptoms reduce as previously sensitized children mature. This should be clarified further in a longitudinal study.
变应性鼻炎（AR）的自然病程难以准确预测，因为它受到多种环境影响以及遗传易感性的影响。考虑到儿童和青少年变应性鼻炎的高患病率，应向护理人员提供有关该病病程的适当信息。本研究旨在通过检查此发育期内变应原致敏与鼻炎症状之间的关系，了解变应性鼻炎的预后。
本横断面研究纳入了来自韩国儿童哮喘和过敏国际研究数据库的 1069 名 9-16 岁儿童，这些儿童完成了健康问卷，并且可提供皮肤点刺试验结果。数据收集于 2016 年 5 月。通过年龄组（小学、初中和高中）比较致敏和过敏症状的分布。采用线性线性分析进行数据分析。
至少对一种测试变应原的致敏在不同年龄组（小学、初中和高中生中分别为 59.2%、58.3%和 68.2%；p = 0.025）和季节性变应原致敏（分别为 35.0%、37.1%和 53.9%）中存在差异，且随着年龄的增加而增加（p < 0.001）。相反，致敏儿童中鼻炎症状的比例随年龄增加而降低（分别为 58.80%、52.90%和 49.70%；p = 0.047）。然而，非变应性鼻炎的发生率与年龄无关。
在儿童和青少年时期，随着年龄的增长，有症状的变应性鼻炎减少，因此亚临床变应性鼻炎增加。这表明，后期致敏儿童的症状表现不那么明显，或者随着先前致敏儿童的成熟，症状减轻。这在一项纵向研究中应进一步阐明。
