EVALUATION OF THYROID FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH ALLERGIC RHINITIS: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a hypersensitivity reaction mediated by immunoglobulin E that causes inflammation of the nasal mucosa. The association between allergic diseases and thyroid disease is not yet well established. Thus, this study was carried out to evaluate the thyroid function among allergic rhinitis patients. To evaluate the thyroid function and determine its association among allergic rhinitis patients attending the outpatient department of otorhinolaryngology. A cross-sectional study was conducted in patients having allergic rhinitis (n=50) who attended the outpatient department of otorhinolaryngology. Basic details, thyroid profile, and clinical examination of the ear, nose, and throat were obtained in a semi-structured questionnaire. The mean age of patients was 38±13.9 years. The majority of patients were middle-aged (40%), 60% were female, 32% belonged to the upper middle class and 64% had a family history of AR. Of 50 patients, 40% had hypothyroidism and 4% had hyperthyroidism. Most of the AR patients with elevated anti-TPO (n=20, p=0.0001) and hypertrophied turbinate (n=20, p=0.0001) were significantly associated with hypothyroidism. Nearly half of the allergic rhinits patients had hypothyroidism, of which all of them had elevated anti-TPO which was found to be significantly associated.