Incidence of allergic rhinitis in children.
The authors give an account of the outcome of research done in the Allergo-Immunological Centre of the IInd ENT Division of Rome University, carried out among 210 children who were affected by nasal atopy. Particular stress was placed on the involvement of the nasopharyngo-tubal system. The age of the children ranged from 2-12 years and they underwent: 1) ENT visit; 2) allergy tests; 3) anterior rhinorheomanometry; 4) tubal function tests; 5) mucociliary clearance time; 6) X-ray examination of paranasal sinuses. The results revealed that the most frequent symptom in these children is rhinitis, whatever the allergic sensitization was. The forms of atopy which manifested themselves by chronical allergic patients (D.Pt. and P.O.) were the cause of: 1. asthmatic-type syndromes; 2. early onset of atopic symptoms around 4-7 years of age (9-10 years in the seasonal forms); 3. greater degree of extrinsic rhinitis with edema of the turbinates - the first step towards a polypoid degeneration of such subjects; 4. tubal functional deficit (60% of subjects allergic to P.O. and 50% allergic to D.Pt whereas only 27% are found in the seasonal forms); 5. mucociliary clearance linked directly with the length of disease; involvement of the paranasal sinuses (53/61 patients allergic to D.Pt., 9/28 allergic to P.O., 9/56 allergic to Graminacee). Furthermore the nasal patency was more insufficient in patients affected by the chronical forms of the atopy. In the light of these results the authors advocate focus attention on the significance of an early diagnosis of nasal atopy in children and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration among specialists.
D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000503:physiopathology; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012882:Skin Tests