title: Clinical and cytologic characteristics of allergic rhinitis in elderly patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The constant increase in the elderly population worldwide has led to a greater interest in immunologic responses during aging. Thus, special attention to allergic diseases in elderly people has begun to emerge, but little is known about the effect and features of allergic rhinitis in elderly people.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the clinical and cytologic characteristics of respiratory allergy and its impact on the quality of life in elderly people.
  
  
  METHODS
  Elderly patients with rhinitis referred to our allergy unit during a 3-month period underwent clinical evaluation and responded to the Rhinasthma Questionnaire. All patients also underwent skin prick testing, measurement of total IgE level, and nasal cytologic analysis. The data were compared with a control group of young adults.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-four patients older than 65 years (mean age, 69.3 years) and 89 young adults (mean age, 26.3 years) with allergic rhinitis were studied. The elderly patients had a less positive family history of atopy (P=.02) and had rhinitis plus conjunctivitis more frequently (P=.002) than young adults, whereas the difference between groups in total IgE level was not statistically significant. On nasal cytologic analysis, the differential count of inflammatory cells did not differ between groups, but in the elderly patients the epithelial-goblet cell ratio was decreased. The quality of life in elderly people was more impaired than in young adults (P=.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In elderly people with allergic rhinitis, the clinical characteristics are different and quality of life is more heavily impaired compared with young adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gelardi
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Amato
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buquicchio
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tummolo
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Misciagna
authors.forename: Giorgio Walter
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Canonica
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Passalacqua
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E