Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis in China

AR have been well documented in many developed countries, there is comparatively little information available in developing countries. 19In this regard, the People's Republic of China is one of the largest countries in the world with a population of around 1.3 billion citizens and rapidly expanding industrialization.It is divided into 34 administrative divisions, including 23 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities directly under the Central Government, and 2 Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macao).Moreover, it is traditionally divided into seven divisions, including North, Northeast, East, South, Northwest, Central and Southwest China, which cover an area of around 9.6 million square kilometers-approximately the size of Europe-and lies within several climate zones.The present article reviews the prevalence, incidence of comorbid allergic diseases, and trends and patterns of sensitizing allergens of AR in adults and children in China.The process of selecting articles to include in the present review was based on review of pre-existing published studies.A literature search was conducted in February 2013 for all relevant articles using PubMed.Cita-Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a serious systemic allergic disease, which together with comorbid asthma causes major illness and disability worldwide.Recent epidemiological studies have revealed wide variations in the increasing prevalence of AR and allergies globally, including in China.Despite a markedly higher population than western countries, and a landmass close to Europe in area, little epidemiological data is available on AR in China.Thus, the present study reviewed the prevalence, comorbid allergic diseases, trends and pattern of sensitizing allergens in adults and children suffering from AR in China.Available data indicated that despite variations in the prevalence of AR in different regions of the country, the prevalence of AR has increased in both adults and children over the last 2 decades.Similarly, there has been an increase in a "western"-type lifestyle, industrialization and air pollution over this period, which may have contributed to the increased prevalence of AR observed in China.