Prevalence of rhinitis among 6 and 7-year old students in
               Fortaleza

a cross-sectional study using the rhinitis module of the ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) questionnaire. The sample included 2,020 students from public and private schools, in 2010.

Results:

the prevalence of cumulative rhinitis, active rhinitis, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and physician-diagnosed rhinitis was 49.9%, 42%, 15.4% and 28.1%, respectively, being significantly more prevalent among private school students (OR = 0.55, 95CI: 0.46 - 0.66, p < 0.001; OR = 0.50, 95CI: 0.41 - 0.60, p < 0.001; OR = 0.67, 95CI: 0.52 - 0.85, p < 0.001; OR = 0.15, 95CI: 0.12 - 0.19, p < 0.001, respectively), without differences between genders. Interference with daily activities was reported by 25.3%, while 5.7% reported to be moderately or severely affected, without a difference between genders.

Conclusion:

the prevalence of rhinitis symptoms and associated morbidity among 6-7-year old schoolchildren in Fortaleza was above the Brazilian average, with predominance among private school students, without difference between genders. It was observed that rhinitis was underdiagnosed in this population.

rhinitis; prevalence; morbidity; epidemiology; child

Symptoms	Frequency			Gender				OR (95CI)	p	Type of school				OR (95CI)	p
	Frequency			Male (n=988)		Female (n=1032)				Public (n=997)		Private (n=1023)
	n	%	(95CI)	n	%	n	%			n	%	n	%
Cumulative rhinitis	1029	49.9	(47.7 - 52)	521	54.1	508	50.7	1.1 (0.9-1.3)	0.13	433	44.9	596	59.4	0.5 (0.4 - 0.6)	< 0,001
Active rhinitis	849	42	(39.8 - 44.1)	432	85.7	417	84.2	1.1 (0.7-1.5)	0.51	335	33.6	514	50.2	0.5 (0.4- 0.6)	< 0.001
Rhinoconj	312	15.4	(13.8 - 16.9)	166	38.1	146	34.7	1.1 (0.8-1.5)	0.29	128	12.8	184	18	0.6 (0.5 - 0.8)	0.001
Interference w/ activities
Never	356	17.6	(15.9 - 19.2)	198	44.4	158	37.2	1.3 (1.02-1.7)	0.03	140	40.1	216	41.7	1.06 (0.8 - 1.4)	0.64
Slightly	397	19.6	(17.8 - 21.3)	186	42	211	50	0.7 (0.5-0.9)	0.01	161	46.1	236	45.6	0.9 (0.7 - 1.2)	0.86
Moderately	76	3.8	(2.9 - 4.6)	38	8.6	38	9	0.9 (0.5-1.5)	0.84	23	6.6	53	10.2	1.6 (0.9 - 2.6)	0.06
A great deal	38	1.9	(1.71 - 2.08)	22	5	16	3.8	1.3 (0.6-2.5)	0.39	25	7.2	13	2.5	0.3 (0.1 - 0.6)	0.001
Diagnosed rhinitis	568	28.1	(26.1 - 30)	289	30.8	279	28.2	1.1 (0.9-1.3)	0.20	109	11.6	459	46.1	0.15 (0.12 - 0.19)	< 0.001

	Interference of the symptoms with daily activities								p
	Never		Slightly		Moderately		A great deal
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Yes	130	37.8	206	54.2	49	66.2	20	60.6	< 0.001 ^* * Statistical significance. Z-test used for proportions.
No	214	62.2	174	45.8	25	33.8	13	39.4

Associação Médica Brasileira R. São Carlos do Pinhal, 324, 01333-903 São Paulo SP - Brazil, Tel: +55 11 3178-6800, Fax: +55 11 3178-6816 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: ramb@amb.org.br

Acompanhe os números deste periódico no seu leitor de RSS

[1] Correspondence: Address: Av. Engenheiro Santana Júnior, 2977, Condomínio Flamboyant du Parc, Apto 401. Fortaleza - CE. ZIP Code: 60.175-650. Phone: +55 85 3224-3423 - Fax: +55 85 3292-3926. fatimaluna@terra.com.br