Abstract

Background: Only a few prevalence studies of allergic rhinitis (AR) have been reported in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of AR in adult population of Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an electronic questionnaire distributed through various social networking programs. The questionnaire was filled out by 1,184 participants and included items on previous history of AR, doing an allergic test before and the result of that test, presence of allergenic symptoms in the last 12 months, its triggering factors and the season of its occurrence, and type of medications used.
Results: Past history of AR was present in 32% of males and 38.6% of females, and headache (68%) and sneezing (45.8%) were the most common prevalent symptoms. The most common inhalant allergens were house dust mites (71.7%) and mold (15.9%). AR symptoms in females were significantly higher compared to males. Most nasal symptoms were noticed in winter with a positive rate of 59% in relation to other season.
Conclusions: Our study showed a high prevalence of diagnosed AR in adult population of Al-Baha city. Dust mite was the most important AR trigger among participants.

Key words: Allergic, rhinitis, allergen, population, Al-Baha, Saudi