Snoring, daytime sleepiness, and nasal obstruction with or without allergic rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationships among nasal obstruction (NO), snoring, and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in working people with or without allergic rhinitis (AR).

DESIGN

Prospective study using questionnaires.

SETTING

An industrial company in Japan.

PARTICIPANTS

We asked 1878 daytime workers to complete questionnaires; data from 1459 respondents were analyzed. Participants were divided into 3 groups: those with NO plus AR, those with NO without AR, and those with AR without NO. Individuals without NO or AR served as controls.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Allergic rhinitis and daytime sleepiness were evaluated using the European Community Respiratory Health Survey questionnaire and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, respectively.

RESULTS

The percentage of snorers, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score, and the percentage of participants with EDS were higher in the NO-AR and NO groups but were not significantly different in the AR group compared with the control group. These variables did not differ between the NO-AR and NO groups. Patients in the NO-AR and NO groups had higher odds of snoring and of having EDS, whereas the odds of snoring or of having EDS were not statistically significant in the AR group compared with the control group (P = .67 and P = .3, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Nasal obstruction is associated with snoring and EDS in individuals with or without AR. Allergic rhinitis without NO is not associated with sleep-disordered breathing or EDS.