Allergic Rhinitis Patient Characteristics in Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung Indonesia

Background: Allergic rhinitis affects 500 million people worldwide, especially children and adolescents. This disease interferes with daily activities and productivity, leading to decreased quality of life. Allergic rhinitis is often accompanied by co-morbid conditions such as asthma, conjunctivitis, rhinosinusitis, urticaria and othersthat may worsen the disease. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of patients with allergic rhinitis during the period of 2010-2011 in Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung. Methods: This study was a descriptive study with a cross-sectional design using medical records of allergic rhinitis patients who visited the allergy clinic of the Otorhinolaryngology ‒ Head and Neck Surgery ( ORL ‒ HNS ) Department of Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung. Results: There were 167 patients diagnosed as suffering from allergic rhinitis during the study time with more women (53.3%) affected compared to men (46.7%). Most of them were in the age group of 18-34 years old (52.7%) and their were student (53.3%). Most were suffered from moderate-severe persistent allergic rhinitis based on the Allergic Rhinitis and its Impact on Asthma-World Health Organization (ARIA-WHO) classification (52.7%). Co-morbid conditions were found in 73.7% of subjects and the allergic conjunctivitis (59.9%) was the most common. Conclusions: Allergic rhinitis is most commonly found in people at school age and productive age. Most allergic rhinitis patients are classified into persistent moderate/severe, showing that the rhinitis symptom has already interfered with their daily activities and decreased their quality of life