Children with both asthma and hay fever (allergic rhinitis) incur greater asthma drug costs and are hospitalized more often than similar children who have just asthma, according to a new report.

Dr. Vasilisa Sazonov Kocevar, from Merck and Co., Inc. in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, and colleagues analyzed data from 9522 asthmatic children in the UK to assess healthcare resource use. Of these subjects, 1879 had allergic rhinitis.

During the 12-month study period, the group with rhinitis had an average of 4.4 general practitioner (GP) visits and a hospitalization rate of 1.4 percent, the investigators report in the medical journal Pediatrics. The asthma-only group averaged 3.4 doctor visits with a 0.5 percent hospitalization rate.

In addition, rhinitis was linked to an increase in asthma drug costs, regardless of asthma severity.

“These results are consistent with those of two US studies,” Kocevar’s team notes.

The researchers conclude that the “coexistence of asthma and allergic rhinitis identifies a high-risk group of children that should be targeted for care.”

SOURCE: Pediatrics, January 2005.