Original Article
The Score for Allergic Rhinitis study in Turkey, 2020
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Authors
- Cemal Cingi ENT Department, Eskisehir Osmangazi University School of Medicine, Eskisehir, Turkey
- Nuray Bayar Muluk ENT Department, Kırıkkale University School of Medicine, Kırıkkale, Turkey
- Nihat Susaman ENT Clinic, Health Sciences University, Fethi Sekin City Hospital, Elazig, Turkey
- Nagehan Küçükcan ENT Clinic, Çukurova State Hospital, Adana, Turkey
- Murat Kar ENT Clinic, Kumluca State Hospital, Antalya, Turkey
- Mustafa Altıntaş ENT Clinic, Serik State Hospital, Antalya, Turkey
- Fazilet Altın ENT Department, Health Sciences University, Sultangazi Haseki Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
- Sinan Eroğlu ENT Clinic, Bahçelievler State Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
- Kemal Kef ENT Clinic, Private Keşan Hospital Edirne, Turkey
- Kağan İpçi ENT Clinic, Koru Private Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
- Selis Gülseven Güven ENT Department, Trakya University School of Medicine, Edirne, Turkey
- Senem Kurt Dizdar ENT Department, İstanbul Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
- Serkan Çayır ENT Department, Aksaray University School of Medicine, Training and Research Hospital, Aksaray, Turkey
- İsmail Salcan ENT Department, Binali Yıldırım University School of Medicine, Mengücek Gazi Training and Research Hospital, Erzincan, Turkey
- Müge Özçelik Korkmaz ENT Clinic, Kumluca State Hospital, Antalya, Turkey
- Aslı Şahin Yılmaz ENT Department, Ümraniye Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
- Bülent Topuz ENT Department, Pamukkale University School of Medicine, Denizli, Turkey
- Sema Başak ENT Department, Aydın Adnan Menderes University School of Medicine, Aydın, Turkey
- Ahmet Ural ENT Department, Bolu Abant İzzet Baysal University School of Medicine, Bolu, Turkey
- Bengu Yaldız Çobanoğlu ENT Department, Karadeniz Technical University School of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey
- Alper Nabi Erkan ENT Department, Başkent Training and Research Center, Adana, Turkey
- Fatih Oğhan ENT Department, Kütahya Health Sciences University School of Medicine, Kütahya, Turkey
- Görkem Eskiizmir ENT Department, Manisa Celal Bayar University School of Medicine, Manisa, Turkey
- Burak Ömür Çakır ENT Department, Beykent University School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey
- Berna Uslu Coskun ENT Department, İstanbul Şişli Hamidiye Etfal Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
- Cüneyt Orhan Kara ENT Department, Pamukkale University School of Medicine, Denizli, Turkey
- Erdoğan Gültekin ENT Department, Tekirdağ Namık Kemal University School of Medicine, Tekirdağ, Turkey
- Harun Üçüncü ENT Department, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University School of Medicine, Muğla, Turkey
- Adin Selcuk ENT Department, Bahçeşehir University School of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey
- Emine Elif Altuntaş ENT Department, Sivas Cumhuriyet University School of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey
- Kasım Durmuş ENT Department, Sivas Cumhuriyet University School of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey
- Samet Özlügedik ENT Department, Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
- Sema Zer Toros ENT Department, Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
- Özgür Karameşe ENT Department, Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
- Tuba Bayındır ENT Department, İnönü University School of Medicine, Malatya, Turkey
- Müzeyyen Yıldırım Baylan ENT Department, Dicle University School of Medicine, Diyarbakır, Turkey
- İsmail İynen ENT Department, Harran University School of Medicine, Urfa, Turkey
- Orhan Yılmaz ENT Department, Karabük University School of Medicine, Karabük, Turkey
- Nihat Yılmaz ENT Department, Karabük University School of Medicine, Karabük, Turkey
- Deniz Avcı ENT Clinic, Nevşehir State Hospital, Nevşehir, Turkey
- Abdulhalim Aysel ENT Department, Health Sciences University, İzmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, İzmir, Turkey
- Cengiz Bal Biostatics Department, Eskisehir Osmangazi University School of Medicine, Eskisehir, Turkey
- Serdar Başer ENT Department, Keçiören Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
- Ziya Bozkurt ENT Clinic, Bahçeşehir University Göztepe Medical Park, İstanbul, Turkey
- Tolgahan Çatlı ENT Department, Health Sciences University, İzmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital, İzmir, Turkey
- Erdem Atalay Çetinkaya ENT Department, Health Sciences University Antalya Training and Research Hospital, Antalya, Turkey
- Fatih Öner ENT Department, Health Sciences University Erzurum Training and Research Hospital, Erzurum, Turkey
- Zerrin Özergin Coşkun ENT Department, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University School of Medicine, Rize, Turkey
- Denizhan Dizdar ENT Clinic, Bahçelievler Medical Park, İstanbul, Turkey
- Erkan Ekşi ENT Department, Başkent University Zübeyde Hanım Application and Research Center, İzmir, Turkey
Objective: This study aimed to determine how prevalent allergic rhinitis (AR) is in Turkey and to compare the current prevalence with the figures obtained 10 years earlier.
Methods: This study included 9,017 participants. The minimum number of participants required from each center was determined via a stratified sampling technique according to regional demographic characteristics as ascertained from the last census. For each region, both men and women were administered the score for allergic rhinitis (SFAR) questionnaire and a score for each participant was calculated based on the responses supplied.
Results: A total of 9,017 individuals (55.3% men and 44.7% women) took part in this study. Of these, 94.4% were urban residents and 5.6% lived in a rural setting. Of the men, 38.5% self-reported as suffering from AR. The corresponding figure in women was 40.5%. The overall prevalence of AR, as deduced on the basis of the SFAR, was found to be 36.7%. Comparing the prevalence in different regions, we found that AR was the least prevalent in the Black Sea region with a frequency of 35.8%. The highest prevalence was in the Mediterranean region, where the prevalence was 37.7%. There was no statistical significance in the apparent differences in prevalence between different geographical regions. Despite this, however, there was a clear increase in the frequency of AR over the preceding decade. This increase was most pronounced in the South-Eastern Anatolian region, where the frequency rose from 21.0% to 36.9%.
Conclusion: Our results indicate that there has been a marked increase in the prevalence of AR in every region in Turkey over the last 10 years. This could be related to living conditions in urban environments. Alterations in lifestyle, urban living, air pollution causing impairments in immune defense mechanisms, and other aspects of modern lifestyles may account for the increase in AR in Turkey.