Abstract
Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common allergic disease. Allergen immunotherapy (AI) is the only available treatment that modifies the allergic process instead of suppressing symptoms. Whether AI or AR patients have an increased incident rate (IR) of autoimmune disorders is unknown.
Objectives: Compare IRs of autoimmune disorders in AI, AR, and non-AR patients.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included members of the HealthCore Integrated Research DatabaseSM age ≥5 years (01Jan2004-30Sep2011). Cohorts included patients with neither AR nor AI, specialist-diagnosed AR patients unexposed to AI, and AI patients with AR. We calculated IR ratios (IRRs) and their 95% confidence intervals.
Results: The cohorts included 1,582,205 non-AR, 1,723,956 AR, and 109,157 AI patients.
Age and gender-adjusted IRRs of select autoimmune disorders
Conclusions: Many autoimmune disorders are more commonly diagnosed in AR than non-AR patients.
- © 2014 ERS
