Blood lipid levels related to allergic rhinitis: A significant association?

The Allergic rhinitis is a common problem increasing greatly over the past three decades. Several studies have found a possible link between dyslipidemia and allergic disease but the relating causal mechanisms remain elusive. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between blood lipid levels and the presence of allergic rhinitis. A multicentre prospective study was carried out on 160 allergic rhinitis patients and 160 volunteers as a control according to age, gender, body mass index (BMI) values and full blood lipid profile. A possible correlation between abnormal dyslipidemia parameters and the severity of allergic rhinitis was studied too. Demographic characteristics didn’t differ between groups. While levels of LDL-C, total cholesterol, as well as TC/HDL ratio and LDL/HDL ratio, were significantly higher (p<0.001) in patients with allergic rhinitis, there was a positive correlation between abnormal dyslipidemia parameters and moderate/severe allergic rhinitis symptomatology ( p<0.001). We support the hypothesis that dyslipidemia might play a role in in the manifestation of allergic rhinitis.