ABSTRACT
Purpose@#Inhalant allergens are known as a major factor for respiratory allergic diseases. There are many differences in sensitization rates of inhalant allergens, depending on the environment and demographic factors. This study aimed to compare the cross-sectional differences in sensitivity patterns to inhalant allergen between children, adolescents, and adults. @*Methods@#We analyzed the results of 449 patients with asthma or allergic rhinitis who underwent the inhalant allergen skin prick test at our university hospital in 2016. The subjects were classified 5 groups according to age: children ( ≤ 12 years), adolescents (13–17 years), young adults (18–30 years), middle adults (31–64 years), and elderly group ( ≥ 65 years). Positive responses skin prick test for allergens were defined as allergen-to-histamine wheal ratio ≥ 1. @*Results@#The sensitization rate (SR) to house dust mites (HDM) was 52.1% on average, showing the highest SR in all groups, especially in children (64.2%). Children and adolescents showed high SRs to cockroach along with tree pollen, animal fur, and adults showed high SR to weed pollen along with them. Among the tree pollen, the SRs to oak, alder, birch, and beech were high in all groups; in children, the SR to plain and willow tended to be high, and in adults the SR to hazel was high. SRs to Timothy pollen (9.9%) and Alternaria (8.6%) tended to be higher in children than in the other groups. @*Conclusion@#Although HDM is still the major allergen in children and adults with respiratory allergy, our study suggests various differences in the sensitization pattern to inhalant allergens according to age even in the same area. Further studies are needed to explain these differences in sensitization patterns.