Different phenotypes of intermittent and persistent respiratory allergy in Zagreb, Croatia.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a major chronic respiratory disease because of its prevalence, its impacts on the quality of life, economic burden and links with asthma. A significant relationship between the severity of rhinitis and prevalence of asthma in allergic patients was found both in patients suffering from seasonal rhinitis and in those suffering from perennial-allergic rhinitis (PAR) and asthma. The aim of the study was to investigate allergy phenotypes in patients with intermittent allergic rhinitis (IAR) and persistent allergic rhinitis (PAR) in residents of Zagreb, and to determine if there were any other differences in the clinical (in vivo) and diagnostic (in vitro) presentations of the phenotype of subjects suffering from different types of rhinitis.