Long-term clinical course of hypersensitive rhinitis.

Information on the long-term clinical course of hypersensitive rhinitis was collected among 180 patients who had previously participated in an allergological study. The time period between the initial study and the follow-up questionnaire study was about 18.2 years. Of the patients, 72 were men and 108 women, aged 3.6-69.3 years (mean age 28.5 years) at the time of the initial study. Initially, atopic rhinitis had been verified by allergological investigations in 61.7% while 38.3% of the cases had been designated as intrinsic. During the 18-year period symptoms decreased in severity in 37.2% and ceased completely in 27.2%. Total disappearance of symptoms was more frequent in the intrinsic than in the atopic group.