title: Previous ear, nose and throat surgery in children presenting with allergic perennial rhinitis.
abstract: Children with allergic perennial rhinitis had a four-fold greater likelihood of having had an ear, nose and throat (ENT) operation than children with orthopaedic problems. Whilst the patients who had ENT operations had significantly lower serum IgA and IgE levels than the non-operated patients, there was no difference in clinical features of atopy or allergy skin-test responses between the two groups of rhinitic patients. Forty per cent of the perennial rhinitics had an improvement in symptoms following ENT operations, whereas 90% improved on medical therapy. Thus, patients with perennial rhinitis should have allergy investigations and the benefit of medical treatment prior to consideration for surgery.
mesh_terms: D000233:Adenoidectomy; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000601:surgery*; D014068:Tonsillectomy