Study of Allergen Patterns in Cases of Moderate to Severe Persistent Allergic Rhinitis in Central India

The prevalence of Allergic rhinitis (AR) is associated with a variety of environmental allergens and the level of exposure is through inhalation, or ingestion. It is clear from several studies and guidelines that screening and identification of various allergens in a particular region can facilitate in diagnosing, treating and formulating preventive strategies against AR. To study the allergen patterns in patients with Moderate to severe persistent allergic rhinitis from Central India. Male/female of 6 to 63 years age group, presenting with itching of the nose, sneezing, rhinorrhoea, nasal congestion and nasal obstruction. Patients suffering from infective pathology of nose and sinuses. The study group comprised of 1350 male/female of the age group between 6 and 63 years. Modified skin prick test was performed according to the method of Pepys and Bernstein. The ratio of allergen wheal and histamine wheal was used to evaluate the results. The reactions with wheal diameter 3 mm or greater than the reading in the negative control were considered as positive reaction. Results of the study indicate that in Central India, the common allergens are pollens (78.5%), insects (64.5%), dust (38.5%), dust mites (18%) and food (10%) causing moderate to severe persistent allergic rhinitis. The study provided an insight and identified the allergen pattern in Central India. The results were of great help in counseling for avoidance therapy and for deciding allergen specific immunotherapy which is the standard treatment protocol to modify natural course of allergic rhinitis at this point of time.