Effects of Environmental Factors on Incidence of Allergic Rhinitis and Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Comparative Study

To investigate the associations of air pollutants and meteorological factors with outpatient visits for allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) in Southern China.

Retrospective time-series study.

Two representative tertiary hospitals in Guangzhou, China, from 2014 to 2019.

Daily outpatient visits for AR and CRS, along with air pollutant concentrations and meteorological data, were analyzed using quasi-Poisson generalized additive models and distributed lag nonlinear models with quasi-Poisson distribution.

A total of 135,817 outpatient visits were included. Increases in NO₂, SO₂, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and O₃ concentrations were significantly associated with higher AR visits, while NO₂, SO₂, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and CO were linked to elevated CRS visits. AR patients were sensitive to cold, wet, and dry effects, with RRs of 1.52 (1.09-2.10), 1.20 (1.03-1.40), and 2.55 (1.71-3.79), respectively. CRS patients were more susceptible to air pollutants, whereas AR patients were more affected by meteorological conditions.

Air pollutants and meteorological factors significantly influence the incidence of AR and CRS in Southern China, with distinct susceptibility patterns between the 2 diseases.