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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Allergy
Sec. Genetics and Epidemiology
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/falgy.2024.1479493

Risk and Protective Factors for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Allergic Rhinitis Patients: A National Survey in China

Provisionally accepted
Xiaozhe Yang Xiaozhe Yang 1Yutong Sima Yutong Sima 1Jinming Zhao Jinming Zhao 1Jing Zhang Jing Zhang 2Xiangdong Wang Xiangdong Wang 1*Luo Zhang Luo Zhang 2*
  • 1 Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China, Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Beijing, China
  • 2 Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Several epidemiological studies have shown that allergic rhinitis (AR) patients are more susceptible to coronavirus disease 2019 .Objective: We aim to investigate the risk factors for COVID-19 in AR patients.: A retrospective nationwide cohort study was conducted based on a questionnaire survey in China. The baseline characteristics, region of residence, smoking and drinking status, comorbidities, vaccination status and previous infection information were obtained. Allergen test results, the SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid test, and antigen detection results were collected. Information on AR and comorbid medication use pre-SARS-CoV-2 infection was also collected. Binary logistic regression and analysis of covariance (different adjusted models) were conducted. Results: In all, 830 AR patients were included; 627 patients (75.54%) were infected with SARS-CoV-2. AR comorbid with allergic conjunctivitis (AC) was a protective factor [OR:0.525 (95% CI=0.296-0.929), P=0.027] against SARS-CoV-2 infection, while AR comorbid with food allergy was a risk factor [OR:6.404 (95% CI=1.349-30.402), P=0.0195]. Although fewer patients received four doses of the vaccine, the results showed a significant protective effect against SARS-CoV-2 infection in AR patients [OR:0.093 (95% CI=0.025-0.348), P=0.0004]. Underweight was a protective factor against COVID-19 [OR:0.287 (95% CI=0.142-0.562), P=0.0003] after full multivariable adjustment. Overweight was associated with a 2.071-fold higher risk for COVID-19 compared with normal weight [(95% CI=1.045-4.105), P=0.0370]. Additionally, house dust mite (HDM)-specific allergies were also protective against COVID-19 [OR:0.537 (95% CI=0.290-0.996), P=0.0484]. Conclusions: This study revealed underlying protective and risk factors, which might be used to improve the management of AR and COVID-19.

    Keywords: allergic rhinitis, COVID-19, risk factor, Protective factor, Infection

    Received: 12 Aug 2024; Accepted: 18 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yang, Sima, Zhao, Zhang, Wang and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Xiangdong Wang, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100730, China, Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Beijing, China
    Luo Zhang, Department of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100730, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.