OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in a random group of schoolchildren aged 13 to 14 years in Brasilia, Brazil, to evaluate tendencies over 6 years and to compare prevalence rates among different socioeconomic groups. METHODS: Two cross-sectional studies were undertaken 6 years apart, using the ISAAC (phases I and III) written questionnaire. Thirty-nine schools were chosen at random from eight administrative regions in Brasilia, and were classified into three groups according to the socioeconomic conditions of the population. RESULTS: A total of 3,009 questionnaires were collected. Of these 53.5% related to female children and 80% to students from public schools. Prevalence rates for diagnosed rhinitis, recent rhinitis and allergic rhinitis were 20, 29.3 and 12.2%, respectively. Rhinitis was more prevalent in private schools than in public ones (17.8 versus 14.1%) and sufferers were predominantly female. Prevalence rates were also higher among populations with higher socioeconomic status (23.5 versus 12.2%). Comparison with the 1996 data revealed significant increases in the prevalence of diagnosed rhinitis (12.7 versus 20%, p = 0.001). These increases were observed at all socioeconomic levels. CONCLUSION: A large number of 13 and 14-year-old children resident in the Distrito Federal exhibit symptoms indicative of rhinitis and the majority of them have allergic rhinitis. Over a six-year period the prevalence of allergic rhinitis increased significantly, predominantly affecting females and with greater prevalence among students at private school and from families with higher socioeconomic status.
Perennial allergic rhinitis; prevalence; adolescent; analysis socioeconomic
