[Statistical study done in Piedmont on 1100 cases of rhinitis caused by hypersensitivity to inhaled allergens]

In this study conducted from 1979 to 1984 we have examined 2315 subjects with rhinitis. All the subjects lived in Piedmont. The skin tests identified 1100 subjects (47.5%) allergic to at least one of the tested allergens. This group included 575 (52.3%) males and 525 (47.7%) females (males/females = 1.1). In the 6-15 age range we have found a clear predominance of males over females (112 against 57 or males/females = 2). At the time of testing, 854 patients (77.7%) were in the 6-35 age range. Only 75 subjects (6.8%) had rhinitis alone; the most common combination of symptoms encountered was rhinitis-conjunctivitis, found in 580 patients (52.7%). Symptoms were seasonal in 909 subjects (82.6%), while 191 (17.4%) were symptomatic throughout the year. Among the subjects with pollen allergy, the grass pollen accounted for the highest percentage (883 subjects or 80.3%). Among the subjects allergic to permanent inhalants Dermatophagoides Farinae (252 subjects or 22.9%) and Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus (240 subjects or 21.8%) accounted for the largest number. Mycophyte sensitivity was negligible (36 subjects or 3.3%). In the end we have seen that grass pollen and Dermatophagoides sensitivity prefer males, while Parietaria sensitivity prefers females.