Association of Allergic Rhinitis and Thyroid Dysfunction: A cross-sectional observational study in a tertiary care center

Abstract

Aims and Objectives: Allergic rhinitis can be a presenting symptom of underlying thyroid dysfunction. This study aims to assess thyroid function status and to explore prevalence of underlying thyroid dysfunction in allergic rhinitis patients.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study carried out from July 2021 to June 2022 at Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Bir Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. A total of 91 allergic rhinitis patients without known thyroid disorders were included in this study. Severity and type of allergic rhinitis was categorized according to ARIA classification and their thyroid function status was assessed.
Results: Out of 91 total cases, there were 47 (51.6%) males and 44 (48.4%) females. Most patients (39.56%) were in the age group 21-30 years with mean age of 30.55 years. By ARIA classification, 30.76% had mild intermittent, 19.78% had mild persistent, 30.76% had moderate-severe intermittent type and 18.68% had moderate-severe persistent type of allergic rhinitis. Thyroid function assessment revealed mean TSH value 3.57mIU/L and median TSH 2.50 mIU/L. Out of total 91 cases, 82.4% (n=75) had normal TSH, 13.2% (n=12) had high TSH, 4.4% (n=4) had low TSH. Total 16 (17.58%) patients had undiagnosed underlying thyroid dysfunction. Out of 16 cases with thyroid dysfunction, 81.25% (n=13) had moderate to severe type of allergic rhinitis. The prevalence of underlying thyroid dysfunction in allergic rhinitis patients was statistically significant (p=<0.05).
Conclusion: There is some association between allergic rhinitis and underlying thyroid dysfunction. Thyroid dysfunction is more common in moderate/severe type of allergic rhinitis. Serum TSH could be a screening tool to identify underlying thyroid dysfunction in allergic rhinitis patients.
Keywords: allergic rhinitis, thyroid disease, thyroid function test