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JACI Highlights - May 2008
Cigarette smoking is associated with a greater risk of incident asthma in allergic rhinitis
Riccardo Polosa MD PhD, James D. Knoke PhD, Cristina Russo MD, Giovita Piccillo MD, Pasquale Caponnetto PhD, Maria Sarvā MD, Lidia Proietti MD, Wael K. Al-Delaimy MD PhD
We know well that cigarette smoking can be especially harmful to respiratory health. Additionally, medical studies have shown that people who have allergies often develop asthma later in life. However, little is known about the effect of cigarette smoking in people who have allergic rhinitis (runny nose, itchy eyes and nose, sneezing.) In an article published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Polosa et al report on their study of more than 300 patients conducted to determine the influence of cigarette smoking as an additional risk factor for later asthma. They selected patients who had been diagnosed with allergic rhinitis (hay fever), but not asthma, 10 years earlier and gave them follow-up examinations and tests to assess their current respiratory health and smoking habits. The researchers found that individuals who have allergies and smoked were more likely than non-smokers with allergies to develop asthma. Among allergic smokers, women were more at risk for asthma than males; quitting smoking may have an advantage in long-term prevention of asthma; and allergic smokers who had received immunotherapy seemed to have a lower risk of asthma. These findings support the importance of the public health imperative to reduce exposure to tobacco, also in people with allergies. They also point out that physicians should warn their allergic patients about the additional risk they have if they smoke.
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