OBJECTIVETo obtain the prevalence and related factors in allergic rhinitis (AR) and other allergic diseases in rural area in China through epidemiological investigation with large sample and multi-faceted survey data.

METHODSFace to face survey was conducted in different regions (rural areas of Cangzhou, Hebei, coastal fishing village of Bohai Bay, area of Wuling Mountain, Chengde, urban areas of Tianjin) from April 2007 to May 2009. In the same time, serum specific IgE (sIgE) was detected in the digits of every 0, 1or 5 in them. SPSS 13.0 software was used to analyze the data.

RESULTSFive thousand and ten cases were investigated. There were 823 cases with the symptoms or signs of AR (16.4%). Four hundred and two cases were found to have positive serum sIgE antibody in 1576 detected cases (25.5%). One hundred and fourty-six cases with nasal allergic symptoms or signs were diagnosed as AR. The incidence of AR was 9.3% (146/1576). The occurrence of allergic symptoms or signs had a significant statistical difference with factors such as age, occupation, atopic constitution (χ(2) value were 7.96, 9.73, 16.53, 8.95 respectively, all P < 0.05), and it was closely related to lower respiratory tract allergies (β = 2.544, P < 0.01). The most common allergens were dog and cat epithelium in rural areas and dust mites in city.

CONCLUSIONSThe incidence of AR is higher whether in urban or rural areas, it should be taken seriously as the impact on human health. The occurrence is closely related to physical characteristics and environmental factors.