The correlation between air pollution and the allergic rhinitis incidence: Erzincan model.

OBJECTIVE: Air pollution is a significant public health problem in our country as well as all over the world. The effects of air pollutants on the respiratory tract are well-known. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the changes in air pollutant parameters during the year and the number of patients who applied to ENT outpatient clinics due to allergic rhinitis in the Erzincan city center between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional, descriptive study, average 24-hour PM10, PM2,5, SO2, NO2, and CO measurements were taken in the city center between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022, using the Air Quality Monitoring Stations website of the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. All allergic rhinitis patients who applied to ENT outpatient clinics were included in the study. The data analysis used median, minimum (min), maximum (max) values, percentages, and Spearman Correlation tests for descriptive statistics. RESULTS: According to the WHO limit values, the number of days exceeded in all parameters during the specified years in Erzincan was found to be quite high. When the number of patients who had been admitted to ENT outpatient clinics was examined, a significant correlation was found between the average SO2, CO values and the number of hospital admissions for 2020, and between the average PM10, SO2, NO2 and CO and the number of hospital admissions for 2021. CONCLUSIONS: Environmental control and public health strategies should be implemented to address this increasingly complex problem.

Evaluation of heart rate variability and night-time blood pressure measurements in patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the role of the autonomic nervous system in the etiology of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSHL) by measuring heart rate variability (HRV) and night-time blood pressure levels. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 58 patients, 31 ISSHL patients (group 1) and 27 healthy volunteers (control group; group 2), were included in this study. Clinical and ambulatory blood pressure measurements and Holter electrocardiography were performed in both groups. After these evaluations, HRV parameters and night-time blood pressure values were determined. RESULTS: Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and mean diastolic blood pressure (DBP) measured at night-time were higher in group 1 compared to group 2 (p < 0.05). Heart rate variability parameters were lower in group 1 than in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ISSHL, elevated blood pressure at night-time and reduced heart rate variability suggest that autonomic nervous system dysfunction might play a role in the etiopathogenesis of the disease. The measurements of ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate variability can reveal more enlightening data in the determination of the etiology of ISSHL and guiding the treatment.