OBJECTIVERecent findings suggest that environmental factors play important roles in the etiology of allergic rhinitis, however, data on the impacts of socioeconomic and environmental factors on self-reported prevalence of allergic rhinitis in China is sparse, which is the aim of this study.

METHODSTelephone interviews were performed in 11 cities throughout the mainland of China, and the association between environmental factors and self-reported prevalence of allergic rhinitis were evaluated by multiple linear correlation tests.

RESULTSIn total, there was no association between the adjusted self-reported prevalence of allergic rhinitis and socioeconomic factors such as GDP, GDP per capita, gross output value of industry and gross output value of industry per capita, while the adjusted self-reported prevalence of allergic rhinitis was positively correlated with the concentration of SO2, and no association was found between adjusted self-reported rate of allergic rhinitis and either meteorological factors including annual average temperature, annual average relative humidity, annual hours of sunshine and annual precipitation or other air pollution factors including NO2 and PMl0.

CONCLUSIONSThe study demonstrates that the self-reported prevalence of allergic rhinitis in 11 cities in China was positively correlated with the concentration of SO2, and the strategy of prevention for allergic rhinitis could be conducted according to the results. Prevalence;