I. Annesimaesano et Mp. Oryszczyn, RHINITIS IN ADOLESCENTS - RESULTS OF THE ISAAC SURVEY, Revue francaise d'allergologie et d'immunologie clinique, 38(4), 1998, pp. 283-289
The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) h
as estimated using a standardized questionnaire the prevalence of vari
ous forms of rhinitis among 18.555 adolescents aged between 10 and 17
years representative of the general population of five different zones
of France. In the past year, 14.4 % (median prevalence (MP) among the
various centres) suffered fr om rhinoconjunctivitis, 7.3 % (MP) from
seasonal rhinitis (sneezing, rhinorrhoea and blocked nose, in the abse
nce of colds or flu, during the pollen season) and 2.7% (MP) of perenn
ial rhinitis (sneezing, rhinorrhoea and blocked nose, in the absence o
f colds or flu, for at least 7 months of the year). 15.4 % (MP) of ado
lescents had also already bad hay fever (cumulative prevalence). Girls
and adolescents living in the South-West regions of France presented
an increased risk of developing rhinitis compared. to other subjects.
In particular, a higher incidence of rhinitis was observed in the Lang
uedoc-Roussillon region than elsewhere. In contrast, age was not assoc
iated with the various forms of rhinitis in this population. Few adole
scents complained of discomfort induced by rhinitis in their everyday
activities, except in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, where nasal dis
comfort was very common.