Rhinitis: A Risk Factor in Asthma Control?

Objective: We studied the risk factor aspect of rhinitis in adult patients with asthma using validated assessment tools and separating the patients into groups defining rhinitis severity according to visual analog scale and asthma control status according to asthma control test (ACT) scores.
Material and Methods: Asthma is a disease that causes coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. It is characterized by variable and recurrent symptoms and reversible airflow obstruction. Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a disease characterized by symptoms like sneezing, itching, nasal congestion, and runny nose. Asthma is linked to AR. AR is diagnosed in 70-90% of the patients, and asthma symptoms are observed in 40-50% of the patients who are diagnosed with AR.
Results: Of 114 patients with asthma receiving treatment, 78.9% were female, and 64% had mild rhinitis symptoms. While 12.3% had diabetes mellitus (DM), 30.7% had hypertension (HT), and 14.9% had ischemic heart disease (IHD). Age, sex, DM, HT, IHD, exacerbation, and diagnosis time groups in the last year did not seem to cause a significant difference in ACT scores. The difference between the rhinitis groups in terms of ACT scores was statistically significant (F= 8.506, p=0.004, partial η2=0.087). According to this result, 8.7% of the total variance asthma control could be explained by the severity of AR.
Conclusion: Severe symptoms of rhinitis are associated with asthma control. Therefore, the management of AR should be targeted in patients whose asthma control cannot be optimized.