Prevalence of non-allergic nasal complaints in an urban and a rural population in Sweden.

By questionnaire, 1469 randomly selected persons between 16 and 82 years of age were asked whether they had suffered from such nasal complaints as obstruction, sneezing and discharge, at least during the previous 6 months. Seventy-five per cent answered the questionnaire, two thirds of whom were city dwellers and one third lived in a rural district. No difference was found between the urban and the rural populations regarding the prevalence of symptoms. Twenty-one per cent suffered from non-allergic nasal complaints, and 5% from allergic nasal complaints. The prevalence of non-allergic nasal complaints was highest in the 20-30-year age group, and lowest in the 50-60-year age group. Contributory factors were of greater importance among the younger individuals than among the more elderly.