title: Identification and Prevalence of Allergic, Nonallergic, and Local Allergic Rhinitis Patients in Western Area, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the diagnostic yield of skin prick test (SPT) and serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies level in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and the role of nasal provocation test (NPT) for the determination of local allergic rhinitis (LAR) in patients with nonallergic rhinitis (NAR).
  
  
  METHODS
  This multi-center study included 1230 patients with clinical manifestations for ≥2 years. Patients were classified according to the Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) and scored according to the quantitative Score for Allergic Rhinitis (SFAR). The SPT and total IgE antibody levels were done for all patients. Patients gave negative SPT underwent NPT, and its result was interpreted using Lebel Symptom Score Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SPT was positive in 77.8% of patients, mostly for grass pollen and dust mites. All patients were sensitive to multiple allergens. Median serum IgE antibody level for total study population was 162 IU/ml. Forty-two patients (3.4%) with negative SPT showed a weak response to NPT, while 231 patients (18.7%) with negative SPT had a high response to NPT and were considered to have LAR.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SPT could discriminate between AR and NAR patients. The NPT could identify LAR in 84.6% of patients with rhinitis among those considered as NAR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hatem S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Badran
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt Asilyahmed@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salah
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Fayoum University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Wassim T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Lotfi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009299:Nasal Provocation Tests; D006109:Poaceae / Q000276:immunology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012882:Skin Tests; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: allergic rhinitis; local allergic rhinitis; nasal provocation test; nonallergic rhinitis; skin pricking test