Prevalence of self-reported allergic and non-allergic rhinitis symptoms in Stockholm: relation to age, gender, olfactory sense and smoking.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence of isolated self-reported allergic and non-allergic rhinitis symptoms in an adult population and to explore the relations to age, gender, olfaction and smoking habits.


METHODS
Self-judged health and environmental exposures were investigated by means of a questionnaire survey administered to a stratified random sample of 15,000 adults in Stockholm County.


RESULTS
A total of 10,670 individuals were included in the analysis, corresponding to a response rate of 73%. The results revealed a high prevalence of self-reported non-allergic rhinitis, 19%, almost as high as the prevalence of self-reported allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, 24%. In contrast to current clinical opinion, we did not find a significant increase in the prevalence of non-allergic symptoms with increased age. There were no statistically significant gender differences in the prevalence of either allergic or non-allergic symptoms. A reduced sense of smell was twice as common in the non-allergic group, 23%, as in the healthy population. The prevalence of rhinitis symptoms differed according to smoking habits.


CONCLUSIONS
Both self-reported allergic rhinitis symptoms and non-allergic nasal symptoms are frequent in the population sample. Self-reported non-allergic nasal symptoms seem to occur independent of age and reduced olfactory sense is a common complaint among these subjects. The prevalence of self-reported allergic and non-allergic nasal symptoms did not differ much between men and women or between individuals with different smoking habits.
Olsson
Petter
P
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. petter.olsson@ent.hs.sll.se
Berglind
Niklas
N
Bellander
Tom
T
Stjärne
Pär
P
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015984:Causality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000857:Olfaction Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*