[Allergic rhinitis: A challenge diagnosis]

Abstract

Aim: The allergic rhinitis represents one of the ten major causes of ambulatory check-up. The incidence is between 10% to 25% in the general population and, in Italy, is approximately present in 10% of children and 20% of adolescents. The diagnosis of this disease is related to family anamnesis and the presence of several signs and typical symptoms. Regarding the tests used to detect this disease, cutaneous specific IgE (skin prick test) is used as cute reactivity expression. Using nasal specific IgE dosage we analyzed patients affected by rhinitis and its relationship between positive test, gender and age, the relationship between positive test and disease and the better response to diagnosis between the 2 tests performed (i.e., skin prick test and nasal specific IgE).

Methods: We analyzed 125 subjects enrolled consecutively, age range 48-216 months (median 144 months) that performed skin prick test and nasal specific IgE.

Results: Looking at the overall subjects, 51 subjects were positive to skin prick test and nasal specific IgE, 23 subjects were positive to skin prick test, 31 subjects were positive to nasal specific IgE, 20 subjects were negative to both tests. Regarding the relationship between tests positive and symptoms we did not find any significant correlation.

Conclusions: Our data suggests that rhinitis diagnosis is quite difficult to perform and the test used to detect this disease needs to be more accurate and precise. Family anamnesis and clinical signs are fundamental in the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis.