Association Between Exposure to Indoor Air Pollutants and Allergic Rhinitis Status Using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data

Abstract

Background: Recent studies have shown that indoor air pollutants (IAPs) affect air quality and cause respiratory issues, particularly allergic rhinitis (AR). This study investigated the association between exposure to IAPs and AR risks and symptoms.

Methods: We gathered data from 1864 individuals who responded to the 2022 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, after excluding 116 individuals with missing data from the indoor air quality survey. Participants were categorized into AR and non-AR groups based on the history of AR. IAPs included particulate matter, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, styrene, and environmental tobacco smoke. Logistic regression determined the risk of AR according to a single IAP exposure level. Negative binomial regression was used to investigate the association between AR-related symptoms and number of highly exposed IAPs.

Results: The prevalence of AR was 6%. Exposure to several IAPs was higher in the AR group. The association between individual IAP and AR risk was not significant after adjusting for covariates. The odds ratios for the diagnosis, duration, and severity of AR increased with increasing numbers of exposure to high levels of IAPs.

Conclusions: There was no significant association with AR for each pollutant as a single exposure. However, the risk of AR-related symptoms significantly increased with the number of exposure to high levels of IAPs. These findings provide valuable insights for interventions to improve indoor air quality to mitigate the prevalence and severity of AR.