The prevalence of non-allergic rhinitis phenotypes in the general population: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Non-allergic rhinitis (NAR) can be subdivided into several phenotypes: rhinorrhea of the elderly, rhinitis medicamentosa, smokers', occupational, hormonal, drug-induced, gustatory, and idiopathic rhinitis. There are two pathophysiological endotypes of NAR: inflammatory and neurogenic. Phenotypes may serve as an indicator of an underlying endotype and, therefore, help to guide the treatment. The prevalence of each phenotype in the general population is currently unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL: Cross-sectional questionnaire-based study in the general population of the Netherlands. RESULTS: The prevalence of chronic rhinitis in the general population was 40% (N = 558, of those, 65% had NAR and 28% AR, in 7% allergy status is unknown). Individuals with NAR (N = 363) had significantly more complaints in October-February. Those with AR (N = 159) had significantly more complaints in April-August. The most common NAR phenotypes were idiopathic (39%) and rhinitis medicamentosa (14%), followed by occupational (8%), smokers' (6%), hormonal (4%), gustatory (4%), and rhinorrhea of the elderly (4%). The least prevalent phenotype was drug induced (1%). Nineteen percent of the NAR group could not be classified into any of the phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to describe the prevalences of NAR phenotypes in the general population. AR and NAR have a distinct seasonality pattern with NAR being more prevalent in autumn/winter and AR in spring/summer. Our data on the prevalence of phenotypes may help clinicians to anticipate the type of patients at their clinic and help guide a tailored treatment approach. The high prevalence of rhinitis medicamentosa is alarming, since this is a potentially preventable phenotype.

Endotyping of non-allergic, allergic and mixed rhinitis patients using a broad panel of biomarkers in nasal secretions.

BACKGROUND: Endotyping chronic rhinitis has proven hardest for the subgroup of non-allergic rhinitis (NAR) patients. While IgE-related inflammation is typical for allergic rhinitis (AR), no markers have been found that can be seen to positively identify NAR. A further complication is that AR and NAR might co-exist in patients with mixed rhinitis. As previous studies have considered only a limited number of inflammatory mediators, we wanted to explore whether a wider panel of mediators could help us refine the endotyping in chronic rhinitis patients. OBJECTIVE: To endotype chronic rhinitis, and non-allergic rhinitis in particular, with help of molecular or cellular markers. METHOD: In this study we included 23 NAR patients without allergen sensitizations and with persistent rhinitis symptoms, 22 pollen sensitized rhinitis patients with seasonal symptoms, 21 mixed rhinitis patients with pollen-related symptoms and persistent symptoms outside of the pollen season, and 23 healthy controls without any symptoms. Nasal secretions were collected outside of pollen season and differences between the endotypes were assessed for a broad range of inflammatory mediators and growths factors using a multiplex ELISA. RESULTS: Although we were able to identify two new nasal secretion makers (IL-12 and HGF) that were low in mixed and AR patients versus NAR and healthy controls, the most intriguing outcome is that despite investigating 29 general inflammatory mediators and growth factors no clear profile of non-allergic or mixed rhinitis could be found. CONCLUSION: Classical inflammatory markers are not able to differentiate between non-allergic or mixed rhinitis patients and healthy controls.

Disease-specific quality-of-life questionnaires in rhinitis and rhinosinusitis: review and evaluation.

Quality of life (QoL) measurements are the best approximation of the burden of disease for the patient. Patient-reported outcome measurements (PROMs) estimate health-related quality of life (HRQoL). PROMs can be generic or disease-specific. Generic PROMs allow comparisons between different diseases but can be relatively insensitive for measuring changes within a disease. Recommended QoL questionnaires in allergic rhinitis and rhinoconjunctivitis are the RQLQ (or adapted versions), in chronic rhinosinusitis, the SNOT-22 or RSOM-31, and in acute rhinosinusitis, the modified SNOT-16. PROMs can be used both for daily clinical work and for research. In daily practice, a quick evaluation of the questionnaire directly indicates how the patient is doing. It makes sure that symptoms important for the patient are not overlooked and, during the consultation, the physician can elaborate on specific aspects of the symptomatology. It is important, especially in research, to realize that disease-specific questionnaires are only validated for specific diseases and are not automatically valid for other diseases.

Role of innate immunity in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis: progress and new avenues.

Chronic rhinosinusitis is a heterogeneous and multifactorial disease with unknown etiology. Aberrant responses to microorganisms have been suggested to play a role in the pathophysiology of the disease. Research has focused on the presence, detection, response to, and eradication of these potential threats. Main topics seem to center on the contribution of structural cells such as epithelium and fibroblasts, on the consequences of activation of pattern-recognition receptors, and on the role of antimicrobial agents. This research should be viewed not only in the light of a comparison between healthy and diseased individuals, but also in a comparison between patients who do or do not respond to treatment. New players that could play a role in the pathophysiology seem to surface at regular intervals, adding to our understanding (and the complexity) of the disease and opening new avenues that may help fight this incapacitating disease.