title: Rhinitis in Swiss adults is associated with asthma and early life factors, but not second hand tobacco smoke or obesity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Second hand tobacco smoke (SHS) and overweight/obesity are risk factors for asthma and lower airway respiratory symptoms. We investigated whether SHS or overweight/obesity were also associated with allergic or non-allergic rhinitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data were obtained during the second SAPALDIA Study. Interviewer administered questionnaires were completed by 8047 participants from 8 communities in Switzerland. Blood was collected from 5841 participants and tested for allergen specific IgE. Allergic rhinitis was defined as nasal symptoms with detectable IgE. Data were analysed by multinomial logistic regression with four outcome categories defined according to the presence or absence of rhinitis and/or atopy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of allergic rhinitis was 885 (15.2%) and non-allergic rhinitis 323 (5.5%). The risk of allergic rhinitis was increased in subjects with physician diagnosed asthma (Relative Risk Ratio 6.81; 95%CI 5.39, 8.6), maternal atopy (1.56; 1.27, 1.92) and paternal atopy (1.41; 1.11, 1.79). Older subjects were at lower risk (0.96; 0.95,0.97 per year), as were those raised on a farm (0.64; 0.49,0.84), with older siblings (0.92; 0.86,0.97 per sib) or from rural areas. The risk of non-allergic rhinitis was also increased in subjects with physician diagnosed asthma (4.02; 2.86, 5.67), reduced in males (0.59; 0.46, 0.77), but not associated with upbringing on a farm or older siblings. There were no significant associations of SHS or overweight/obesity with either form of rhinitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Allergic and non-allergic rhinitis have different risk factors apart from asthma. There are significant regional variations within Switzerland, which are not explained by the factors examined.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; School of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: michael.abramson@monash.edu.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Abramson
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schindler
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (IUF), Düsseldorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Tamara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schikowski
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andreas J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bircher
authors.affiliation: Hôpital intercantonal de la Broye, Payerne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Burdet
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Margaret W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Gerbase
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Medea
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imboden
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary Medicine, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rochat
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schmid-Grendelmeier
authors.affiliation: Zürcher Höhenklinik, Wald, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Alexander J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Turk
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zemp
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nino
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Künzli
authors.affiliation: Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Probst-Hensch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology; D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D014028:Tobacco Smoke Pollution; D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: Allergic rhinitis; Non-allergic rhinitis; Obesity; Overweight; Second hand smoke