Allergic rhinitis complicated by hypertrophy of the mucous membrane of nasal turbinates in patients of Northern Vietnam

Abstract

Introduction: Constant contact with allergens contributes to the formation of allergic rhinitis and swelling of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity. Moreover, constant inflammation stimulates hypertrophy of the mucous membrane of the nasal turbinates and paranasal sinuses. This study aimed to assess the clinical features of hypertrophic rhinitis (HR) in combination with allergic rhinitis (AR) in patients from Northern Vietnam to improve the effectiveness of treatment and quality of life of patients with this pathology of the nasal cavity.

Methods: The study was conducted from June to September 2018 by the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Thai Nguyen Central General Hospital, Vietnam. A total of 158 patients with symptoms of chronic rhinitis, aged 5–70 years, were examined. All patients with allergic rhinitis were subjected to standard, specific allergological tests, such as the determination of specific IgE in the blood, and statistics were assessed according to the otorhinolaryngology examination and CT scan. All patients were also examined by otolaryngologists.

Results: According to the results of our study, among 64 patients with a diagnosis of AR, a total of 45 (70.31%) patients were diagnosed as AR in combination with a hypertrophy of the mucous membrane of the nasal turbinate, with an average duration of morbidity of 5.8 ±1.6 years. Moreover, 17 (37.78%) patients were diagnosed with severe hypertrophy of the mucous membrane of the nasal inferior turbinate (the nasal inferior turbinate is 50% or more of nasal cavity and with nasal polyps). The sensitization to house dust mites and fungi was high.

Conclusion: The peculiar findings of AR in combination with HR detected in patients of Northern Vietnam was associated with the onset of the disease at the age of 20-40 years, the predominance in men, the predominance of the disease in smokers, and the predominance in residents of cities and industrial areas (71.1%). Indeed, there was an observed combination of AR with severe and moderate degree of HR. The sensitization of patients with AR in combination with HR in Northern Vietnam are similar to those in Asia, with predominant allergy to house dust mites.