Study finds allergic rhinitis, rheumatoid arthritis not linked

(HealthDay)—There is not a significant association between allergic rhinitis and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, according to a review published online June 15 in the Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine.

Nipith Charoenngam, from Mahidol University in Bangkok, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of studies investigating the association between allergic rhinitis and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

Based upon 12 studies (two cohort studies and 10 case-control studies), the pooled analysis showed no association between allergic rhinitis and risk of rheumatoid arthritis (relative risk, 0.94; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.73 to 1.20). However, when limiting analysis to studies with acceptable quality, patients with allergic rhinitis had a significantly higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis (relative risk, 1.36; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.12 to 1.65).

"In summary, this systematic review and meta-analysis could not reveal a significant association between allergic rhinitis and rheumatoid arthritis," the authors write. "However, when only studies with acceptable quality were included, a significantly higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis among patients with allergic rhinitis than individuals without allergic rhinitis was observed."