Allergic and Non-Allergic Rhinitis Are Common in Obstructive Sleep Apnea but Not Associated With Disease Severity.
STUDY OBJECTIVES
Several studies have suggested that rhinitis contributes to the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). We aimed to investigate the prevalence and influence of allergic rhinitis (AR) and non-allergic rhinitis (NAR) on severity of OSA.


METHODS
Two hundred forty patients with OSA confirmed by standardized polysomnography were assessed for presence of AR and NAR, using validated questionnaires and skin prick tests. Data comparison was carried out by using chi-square test, analysis of variance, and least significant difference test. Associations between severity of OSA and rhinitis, age, sex, and body mass index were assessed with ordinal logistic regression analysis.


RESULTS
The prevalence of AR and NAR among patients with OSA was 27.1% and 28.7%, respectively, with no significant differences in the severity of rhinitis. Ordinal logistic regression analysis showed AR and NAR were not the risk factors for severity of OSA. There were significant differences of polysomnography parameters in sleep efficiency (79.7 ± 2.0 versus 85.2 ± 1.4 between AR and NAR; 79.7 ± 2.0 versus 87.2 ± 1.4 between AR and no-rhinitis) and arousal index (36.8 ± 4.1 versus 24.7 ± 3.5 between AR and no-rhinitis). Patients with NAR had lower average arterial oxygen saturation (91.9 ± 0.6 versus 94.0 ± 0.6) and minimal arterial oxygen saturation (70.6 ± 1.7 versus 77.3 ± 1.8), compared with subjects categorized as no-rhinitis.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggests that despite a comparatively high prevalence in patients with OSA, the presence or severity of AR or NAR does not influence the severity of OSA; however, rhinitis may significantly disturb sleep in patients with OSA.
['Zheng|Ming|M|', 'Wang|Xiangdong|X|', 'Ge|Siqi|S|', 'Gu|Ying|Y|', 'Ding|Xiu|X|', 'Zhang|Yuhuan|Y|', 'Ye|Jingying|J|', 'Zhang|Luo|L|']
D000293:Adolescent D000328:Adult D000368:Aged D005260:Female D006801:Humans D016015:Logistic Models D008297:Male D008875:Middle Aged D017286:Polysomnography D015995:Prevalence D012220:Rhinitis D065631:Rhinitis, Allergic D012720:Severity of Illness Index D012882:Skin Tests D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires D055815:Young Adult
non-allergic rhinitis obstructive sleep apnea allergic rhinitis polysomnography