title: Oxidative stress in schoolchildren with allergic rhinitis: propensity score matching case-control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Oxidative stress is defined as an imbalance between the level of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant mechanisms. Compared with asthma, the role of oxidative stress in allergic rhinitis (AR) has received little attention.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between overall systemic oxidative stress and AR.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a propensity score matching case-control study and selected 90 children who had experienced AR in the previous year. This AR group was then matched with 90 healthy children who comprised the control group. Propensity score matching, a statistical matching technique that accounts for the conditional probability of receiving an exposure given a vector of measured covariates, is used to reduce selection bias and potential confounders in observational study. Serum total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) levels were determined using a commercially available assay kit. Medical records and personal information were also reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No statistically significant differences were found between patients with regard to age, sex, height, weight, educational level of parent, monthly household income, or distance of home from a main road. The mean TAS and TOS levels in the patient group were significantly higher than those of the control group (P = .03 and .048, respectively). The oxidative stress index, which is defined as the ratio of TOS to TAS, also increased in the AR group with statistical propensity (P = .08). In a multivariate logistic analysis, only TAS and TOS levels were significantly associated with increased risk of allergic rhinitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with AR have systemically elevated oxidative stress and systemically elevated TAS levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea; Environmental Health Center, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Sun
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Sim
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea; Environmental Health Center, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Center, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Song Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Center, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Myung Woul
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea; Environmental Health Center, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yangho
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Center, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Inbo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Department of Environmental Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Cheol
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Center, Ulsan University Hospital, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: jclee898@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jong Cheol
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016877:Oxidants / Q000097:blood; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D057216:Propensity Score; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016877:Oxidants