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Climatic factors influenced rhinitis prevalence
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Climatic factors influenced the prevalence of persistent and intermittent rhinitis in children, particularly those aged 13 to 14 years, according to recent study results.
Researchers collected monthly rhinitis symptom data from children aged 6 to 7 and aged 13 to 14 years in phase 3 of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. It included 222 centers in 94 countries for the older patients and 135 centers in 59 countries for the younger patients.
Researchers assessed intermittent (more than one reported symptom but not in consecutive months) and persistent (symptoms for at least 2 consecutive months) rhinitis symptoms with temperature, precipitation, vapor pressure, and the normalized difference vegetation index and adjusted for gross national income and population density.
Country-level mean monthly temperature (6.09 degrees Celsius; 95% CI, 2.06-10.11 degrees Celsius per 10.4 degrees Celsius), precipitation (3.10 mm; 95% CI, 0.46-5.73 mm; per 67 mm) and vapor pressure (6.21 hPa; 95% CI, 2.17-10.24 hPa; per 10.4 hPa) among 13- to 14-year-olds were associated with country-level intermittent symptom prevalence. Their mean center prevalence for intermittent rhinitis was highest in equatorial regions (20) and lowest in regions with snow and polar climates (8.9; analysis of variance, P<.01).
Persistent symptoms had less variation by climate type, with the highest in warm temperate fully humid regions (mean prevalence, 16.1) and lowest in arid climates (mean prevalence 11.9; P=.04).
Among patients aged 6 and 7 years, associations were observed with climate, including a positive within-country association between monthly vegetation measurements and persistent symptom prevalence.
“These results provide suggestive evidence that climate influences the prevalence of rhinitis symptoms,” the researchers concluded. “Although not conclusive, our results represent a first step in investigating how future climate change may affect rhinitis symptom prevalence.”
Disclosure: Elaine Fuertes, MSc, received support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Barbara K. Butland, MSc, received support from the Department of Health and the National Environment Research Council.
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