Deranged Pulmonary Function Tests in Allergic Rhinitis in North Indian Patients

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Allergology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Established link between allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma.
• Bronchial hyper-responsiveness can lead to abnormal pulmonary function tests.
• Investigating subclinical pulmonary derangements in allergic rhinitis patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify pulmonary function derangements in allergic rhinitis patients without overt asthma symptoms.
• To assess the prevalence of subclinical lung disease in this population.
• To compare findings with previous international studies.

Main Methods:

• Studied 74 patients diagnosed with allergic rhinitis.
• Conducted clinical evaluation, blood tests (hemogram, eosinophil count, total IgE).
• Performed pulmonary function tests (PFTs) to assess lung function.

Main Results:

• 60% had intermittent allergic rhinitis, 19% persistent.
• 24.3% showed reversible obstruction (asthma-like response on PFTs).
• 14 patients had mild obstruction, 4 had moderate obstruction.

Conclusions:

• Highlights the significance of pulmonary symptoms in allergic rhinitis.
• Recommends pulmonary function tests for allergic rhinitis patients.
• Emphasizes ruling out latent asthma in individuals with allergic rhinitis.