JRSM > Volume 101, Number 9 > Pp. 466-472

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Send a Quick Comment Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when Quick Comments are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ghouri, N. Articles by Sheikh, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Trends in the epidemiology and prescribing of medication for allergic rhinitis in England

Nazim Ghouri¹ Julia Hippisley-Cox² John Newton³   Aziz Sheikh⁴

¹ Ayr Hospital
² Community Health Sciences, University of Nottingham
³ University of Manchester
⁴ Division of Community Health Sciences: GP Section, University of Edinburgh 20 West Richmond Street, Edinburgh EH8 9DX, UK

Correspondence to: Aziz Sheikh aziz.sheikh{at}ed.ac.uk

Objective To investigate recent trends in the recorded incidence, lifetime prevalence and prescribing of symptom relief medication for allergic rhinitis in England.

Design Analysis of primary healthcare datasets.

Setting The UK prevalence of allergic rhinitis has increased very significantly over recent decades. Analysis of primary healthcare datasets offers the possibility to advance understanding about the changing epidemiology and management of allergic rhinitis. QRESEARCH is one of the world's largest national aggregated health databases containing the records of over nine million patients. We extracted data on all patients with a recorded diagnosis of allergic rhinitis and calculated annual age–sex standardized incidence and lifetime period prevalence rates for each year from 2001–2005. We also analysed prescribing trends for antihistamines and drugs used in nasal allergy in those with a recorded diagnosis of allergic rhinitis.

Main outcome measures Age-sex standardized incidence, lifetime prevalence rates and prescribing trends for symptom relief medication for allergic rhinitis in England.

Results The age-sex standardized incidence of allergic rhinitis was 5.57 per 1000 person-years in 2001 and increased by 33.0% to 7.41 per 1000 person-years in 2005 (P<0.001). Lifetime age-sex standardized prevalence of a recorded diagnosis of allergic rhinitis increased by 43.2% from 46.35 per 1000 in 2001 to 66.37 per 1000 in 2005 (P<0.001). Over this period a 41.7% overall increase in prescriptions for antihistamines and drugs used in nasal allergy was observed (antihistamines 45.5%, drugs used in nasal allergies 35.5%).

Conclusions Recorded incidence and lifetime prevalence of allergic rhinitis have increased substantially in recent years. A similar increase in prescriptions for antihistamines and drugs used in nasal allergy in patients with allergic rhinitis is also observed.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. R Simpson, J. Newton, J. Hippisley-Cox, and A. Sheikh Trends in the epidemiology and prescribing of medication for eczema in England J R Soc Med, March 1, 2009; 102(3): 108 - 117. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. R Simpson, J. Newton, J. Hippisley-Cox, and A. Sheikh Incidence and prevalence of multiple allergic disorders recorded in a national primary care database J R Soc Med, November 1, 2008; 101(11): 558 - 563. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]