The Association between Allergic Rhinitis and COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Abstract
Objective . Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the association of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) with allergic rhinitis (AR). Data on AR prevalence in COVID‐19 patients are limited. Consequently, whether AR is a harmful or protective factor for COVID‐19 patients remains controversial. Therefore, we analyzed the relationship between COVID‐19 and AR. Methods . We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases for studies published between January 1, 2020 and January 11, 2022. We included studies reporting the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID‐19 and its incidence in patients with AR. We excluded letters, case reports, literature review articles, non‐English language article, and non‐full‐text articles. The raw data from these studies were pooled into a meta‐analysis. Results . We analyzed the results of nine studies. The prevalence of AR in patients with COVID‐19 was 0.13 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04–0.25), with an overall I 2 of 99.77%, P = 0.24. COVID‐19 patients with AR are less prone to severe disease (odds ratio [OR] = 0.79, 95% CI, 0.52–1.18, P = 0.25) and hospitalization (OR = 0.23, 95%CI, 0.02–2.67, P ≤ 0.0001) than patients without AR. Conclusion . Our data suggest that allergic rhinitis is a protective factor in patients with COVID‐19.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 19 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: Cross-Sectional Study Among Medical Students on Application, Education, and Ethical Aspects
- Information quality of videos related to esophageal cancer on tiktok, kwai, and bilibili: a cross-sectional study
- The quality and reliability of short videos about hypertension on TikTok: a cross-sectional study
- Quality and reliability evaluation of pancreatic cancer-related video content on social short video platforms: a cross-sectional study
- Quality and reliability of pediatric pneumonia related short videos on mainstream platforms: cross-sectional study
- Association between metabolic score for insulin resistance (METS-IR) and hypertension: a cross-sectional study based on NHANES 2007–2018
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.