TY - JOUR
T1 - Prevalence and triggers of self-reported nasal hyperreactivity in adults with asthma
AU - Feijen, Jef
AU - Seys, Sven F.
AU - Steelant, Brecht
AU - Bullens, Dominique M. A.
AU - Dupont, Lieven J.
AU - García-Cruz, Maria
AU - Jimenez-Chobillón, Alejandro
AU - Larenas-Linnemann, D. sirée
AU - van Gerven, Laura
AU - Fokkens, Wytske J.
AU - Agache, Ioana
AU - Hellings, Peter W.
N1 - Funding Information: P.W.H. and D.B are recipient of a senior researcher fellowship from the Fund of Scientific Research ( FWO ), Flanders , Belgium. B.S. holds a postdoctoral fellowship from FWO , Flanders , Belgium. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Authors Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/6/1
Y1 - 2020/6/1
N2 - Background: Nasal hyperreactivity (NHR) is a common feature of various rhinitis subtypes and represents a novel phenotype of rhinitis. It is being reported in two-thirds of adult rhinitis patients irrespective of the atopic status. Data on the prevalence of NHR in patients with asthma are lacking, as well as the nature of evoking triggers. Methods: Postal questionnaires were distributed to an unselected group of asthmatic patients in Leuven (Belgium, n = 190) and completed by 114 patients. In Mexico City (Mexico) and Brasov (Romania), respectively, 97 out of 110 and 80 out of 100 asthmatic patients attending the outpatient clinic completed the questionnaire. Non-asthmatic volunteers were recruited amongst university and hospital co-workers in Leuven (n = 53). The presence of self-reported NHR, the type of triggers evoking nasal and bronchial symptoms, medication use, self-reported allergy, and environmental factors were evaluated. Results: Overall, 69% of asthma patients reported NHR, with 32% having more than 4 triggers evoking NHR. These triggers included mainly exposure to temperature and humidity changes, cigarette smoke, and strong odours. A higher prevalence of NHR was detected in allergic compared to non-allergic asthma patients (73% vs. 53% p < 0.01). The prevalence of NHR correlated with asthma severity, ranging from 63% (VAS ≤3) to 81% (VAS ≥7). BHR was found more frequently in patients with NHR compared to without NHR (89% vs. 53%, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: NHR represents a clinical phenotype of upper airway disease affecting over two-thirds of asthma patients and correlates with asthma severity. Targeting NHR in patients with asthma is often overlooked and should be reinforced in the future to achieve better symptom control.
AB - Background: Nasal hyperreactivity (NHR) is a common feature of various rhinitis subtypes and represents a novel phenotype of rhinitis. It is being reported in two-thirds of adult rhinitis patients irrespective of the atopic status. Data on the prevalence of NHR in patients with asthma are lacking, as well as the nature of evoking triggers. Methods: Postal questionnaires were distributed to an unselected group of asthmatic patients in Leuven (Belgium, n = 190) and completed by 114 patients. In Mexico City (Mexico) and Brasov (Romania), respectively, 97 out of 110 and 80 out of 100 asthmatic patients attending the outpatient clinic completed the questionnaire. Non-asthmatic volunteers were recruited amongst university and hospital co-workers in Leuven (n = 53). The presence of self-reported NHR, the type of triggers evoking nasal and bronchial symptoms, medication use, self-reported allergy, and environmental factors were evaluated. Results: Overall, 69% of asthma patients reported NHR, with 32% having more than 4 triggers evoking NHR. These triggers included mainly exposure to temperature and humidity changes, cigarette smoke, and strong odours. A higher prevalence of NHR was detected in allergic compared to non-allergic asthma patients (73% vs. 53% p < 0.01). The prevalence of NHR correlated with asthma severity, ranging from 63% (VAS ≤3) to 81% (VAS ≥7). BHR was found more frequently in patients with NHR compared to without NHR (89% vs. 53%, p < 0.0001). Conclusion: NHR represents a clinical phenotype of upper airway disease affecting over two-thirds of asthma patients and correlates with asthma severity. Targeting NHR in patients with asthma is often overlooked and should be reinforced in the future to achieve better symptom control.
KW - Asthma
KW - Atopy
KW - Bronchial hyperreactivity
KW - Nasal hyperreactivity
KW - Symptom severity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85087117394&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2020.100132
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.waojou.2020.100132
M3 - Article
C2 - 32642023
SN - 1939-4551
VL - 13
JO - World Allergy Organization Journal
JF - World Allergy Organization Journal
IS - 6
M1 - 100132
ER -