Evidence regarding the association between allergic rhinitis (AR) and physical activity (PA) is conflicting. Previous studies have mostly relied only on self-reported symptoms to define AR, did not classify AR by severity or persistence, and included only children or athletes. The present cross-sectional study evaluated the association between PA and objectively-defined AR and its subtypes in the general adult population using data for 1932 eligible participants aged 19 years or older in the 2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between three types of PA and overall AR, AR subtypes, and rhinoscopy findings showed that moderate-severe AR was positively associated with vigorous (odds ratio [OR] = 3.392, p = 0.002) and moderate (OR = 3.623, p = 0.007) PA compared to mild AR, while persistent AR was associated with vigorous (OR = 3.954, p = 0.004) and moderate (OR = 3.411, p = 0.022) PA compared to intermittent AR. On rhinoscopy, vigorous PA was significantly associated with watery rhinorrhea (OR = 2.203, p = 0.048) but not pale mucosa. Total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and three allergen-specific IgE were not significantly elevated in participants who performed PA. Therefore, regular vigorous PA is associated with subjective and objective aggravation of AR symptoms, which may not necessarily manifest as increased serum IgE levels.
Keywords: ARIA; IgE; allergic rhinitis; physical activity; rhinoscopy.