Correlation between house dust mites’ sensitization and allergic diseases - A retrospective study of Saudi Arabia

Background: Globally, inhalant allergen sensitization (IAS) in allergic diseases (ADs) is commonly associated with indoor allergens, mainly house dust mites (HDMs). Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the association between HDM sensitization (HDM-SN) and ADs. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted which included all patients with allergies, >15 years of age, and seen over a 1-year period at the Allergy Center, Lalune clinics, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Results of serum specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) to 30 common inhalant allergens (INHs) were collected by medical students. Severity of sensitization was classified as 1–6 (1–2 being mild, 3–4 being moderate, and 5–6 being severe). Medical records of patients with HDM-SN were reviewed to determine any clinical diagnosis of ADs and other associated IAS. Results: A total of 55 adults with HDM-SN, 34 males (62%) and 21 females (38%), with an age range of 15>56 years were studied. ADs associated with HDM-SN were allergic rhinitis (AR) (27%), asthma (22%), allergic conjunctivitis (AC) (18%), atopic dermatitis (ATD) (16%), allergic sinusitis (9%), and chronic urticaria (8%). The average severity class of HDM-SN in our sample was moderate (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus [2.3] and Dermatophagoides farinae [2.2]). Other IAS found to be associated with HDM-SN were cockroaches (13.86%), Alternaria (12.4%), cats (12.4%), Bermuda (11.67%), and mesquite (10.21%). Conclusion: Average HDM-SN severity class was moderate in the studied group of patients (early to middle adult ages). HDM-SN is always associated with other IAS (INH-SNs) which explains the importance of obtaining an all-INH panel in patients with HDM-SN. IAS which most frequently had an association with HDM-SN was cockroaches, Alternaria, and cats with two outdoor allergens Bermuda, and mesquite, following closely. HDM-SN is usually associated with multiple ADs mainly involving INHs including AR, asthma, and AC, and less commonly ATD, sinusitis, and chronic urticaria.

Allergen Sensitization of Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Children under 2 Years / 소아알레르기및호흡기학회지

PURPOSE: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is the allergic disease which appears during infancy. This study aimed to find associations between clinical parameters, allergen sensitization and severity of AD in chidren under 2 years. METHODS: Two hundred fifteen patients (123 boys, 92 girls) under 2 years with severe AD who visited the department of pediatrics of Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital and Asan Medical Center were enrolled. We checked the severity scoring of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD), total eosinophil count, eosinophil ratio, eosionphil cationic protein (ECP), total IgE and specific IgE to 12 allergens [egg white, milk, soybean, peanut, wheat, fish, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D.p), Dermatophagoides farinae (D.f), dog, cat, cockroach, alternaria]. Atopic AD was defined as serum total IgE 200 IU/mL or specific IgE positive. RESULTS: The mean of SCORAD was 69.0. Atopic AD was 161 (75%). There were no differences in age between atopic and non-atopic AD. However, SCORAD, IgE, eosinophil, and ECP were the higher in atopic AD. Sensitization to food allergen was the highest in egg white (76.4%), followed by milk (58.4%) and aeroallergens such as D.f (49.1%) and D.p (46.6%). The more the number of sensitized food allergens, the higher the SCORAD appeared. However, it did not show any relationships with the number of sensitized aeroallergens. CONCLUSION: The percentage and severity were higher in atopic AD than non-atopic AD. The number of sensitized to food allergen affect the severity. Therefore, understanding the sensitization to food allergens may be more helpful in predicting severity than sensitization to aeroallergen. In cases of positive reaction to aeroallergens, it is necessary to observe the development of respiratory allergic disease.

House dust mite allergen level and allergen sensitization as risk factors for asthma among student in Central Jakarta.

This study is a community-based study to get an overview about House Dust Mite (HDM) allergen level, allergen sensitization as risk factors of asthma. This is a cross-sectional study on 3,840 students from 19 junior high schools, aged 13-14 years. All of the respondents filled out the International Study on Asthma and Allergy in Children (ISAAC) questionnaire. Of 3840 respondents, 288 (7.5%) were assigned to asthma group (experience wheezing during the last 12 months). The skin prick test was performed on 207 respondents and the house dust mite was collected from 135 respondents. Of 2601 respondents in non-asthma group, the skin prick test was randomly performed on 274 respondents and the house dust mite was collected from 165 respondents. There is no significant difference on HDM allergen concentration for Der p1, Der f1 or Group I between asthma and control group. The risk of asthma was caused especially by sen D.pteronyssinus (crude odds ration (OR): 12.68, 95% confidence interval (CI): 7.50-21.44), D.farinae (OR: 10.50, CI: 6.35-17.34) and cockroach allergen (OR:5.57, CI:3.44-9.01). The risk for asthma was not correlated with the level of house dust mite allergens but its sensitization. In conclusion, sensitization to HDM and cockroach allergen should be concerned in order to reduce risk and prevalence of asthma.