Persistent allergic rhinitis and its potential to cause poor asthma control

Objective: Many studies have shown the worsening impact of allergic rhinitis on the management of asthma. In this study, we aimed to address the association between persistent allergic rhinitis and poor asthma control. Material and methods: This multi-center cross-sectional study was performed with the participation of patients with asthma and persistent allergic rhinitis visiting the pulmonology outpatient clinics between 01.02.2022 and 01.08.2022. The demographic data, Asthma Control Test (ACT) scores, and asthma control status of the patients were recorded. The sample was divided into two groups according to asthma control status "uncontrolled asthma" and "controlled asthma". The Score for Allergic Rhinitis (SFAR) was used to evaluate the diagnosis of allergic rhinitis (AR). Results: We included 195 patients (47 (24.1%) men and 148 (75.9%) women) with a mean age of 44.54 in this study. While 26.7% of the patients showed asthma control, 73.3% had uncontrolled asthma. The rate of persistent allergic rhinitis was found to be significantly higher in the patients with uncontrolled asthma compared to the patients with controlled asthma (p=0.012). Conclusion: This study showed that persistent allergic rhinitis has a worsening impact on asthma control. Patients with asthma and concomitant persistent allergic rhinitis should be treated and followed up considering their higher risk of poor asthma control. Those patients with persistent symptoms of rhinitis cause major problems in public health with the increased healthcare costs.