ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: During the last 20 years we can observe a marked rise of allergic diseases in the child and adult population with a dominant increase of pollenoses in children. It is assumed that this adverse development is due to changes in the ecosystem caused above all by contamination of the living environment. Our objective was to examine school children in Tatranská Strba and Strbské Pleso as regards sensitization to different groups of pollen allergens. By investigating several factors associated with the development of the disease, the authors wanted to elucidate the prevalence of pollenosis in the environment devoid of industrial exhalations. METHODS AND RESULTS: The investigated group comprised 160 school children aged 6-15 years (mean age 10.4 years) incl. 83 boys (mean age 10.1 years) and 77 girls (mean age 10.7 years). Skin tests revealed sensitization to pollen allergens in 50 boys (60.2%) and 35 girls (45.5%). Positivity to grass pollen was found in 35.7%, to weeds and bushes in 16.3% and to pollen from trees in 7.8%. The percentage of positivity to individual types of pollen allergens as well as the maximum of clinical complaints corresponds to the type of vegetation where the children live. The influence of genetic factors was manifested at the 92% level of significance (p = 0.056), after Yates' correction (p = 0.081). Atopic children have in 62.4% a positive family-history. In conjunction with the incidence of allergoses the test of rank correlation confirmed statistically significant agreement between sick and healthy children as regards the period of breastfeeding (p = 0.0024), beginning of attendance of preschool facilities (p = 0.0052) as well as the month of birth (p = 0.0150). CONCLUSIONS: From the investigation ensues that the local vegetation has an impact on the specific sensitization of individual subjects and plays a part in the manifestation of pollenosis in a relatively clean environment--the High Tatras being considered such. It can be assumed that the coincidence of genetic factors, lifestyle and factors of the outdoor environment participate in the rising prevalence of pollenosis.
Subject(s)
Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal/epidemiology , Adolescent , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal/diagnosis , Skin Tests , Slovakia/epidemiologyABSTRACT
1. In our work we studied the problematics of house dust fauna in the sanatoria and institutes of the Tatra region, regarding especially the incidence of mites of the family Pyroglyphidae that are considered for the major source of house dust allergen. 2. In eleven places of different altitude in this region, there were in 1982 chosen 13 localities--sanatoria and institutes. Here, once quarterly, were collected house dust samples from beds and floors. 3. In the Locality 1 Helios, Strbské Pleso, the house dust samples were collected in 1976, once in two months, in 1979 once in three months, and in 1982 once quarterly. Here, the involvement of the new--opened sanatorium by house dust mites was studied. 4. House dust samples in the studied localities were collected using the electric vacuum cleaner into the changeable paper bags. The samples were examined by flotation due to Spieksma (1970) and due to the modification of Spieksma's methodics elaborated by Samsinák et al. (1974). 5. The found house dust mites--pyroglyphids were evaluated due to Bronswijk and Sinha (1971) and due to the modification of their methodics elaborated by Samsinák et al. (1974). The classification due to Wharton (1976) was used as well. 6. In every studied locality, in house dust collected from floors and beds, there were identified mites of the family Pyroglyphidae, considered for the major source of house dust allergen. 7. Mites of the family Pyroglyphidae were represented by the genera Dermatophagoides and Euroglyphus, and by the species Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, and Euroglyphus maynei. There were found as well the nymphal instars of the genus Dermatophagoides, in this development degree it is very complicated to determine precisely the species--and that is why the term Dermatophagoides sp. nymphal instar is used. 8. In 1982 there were in the chosen localities collected 764 house dust samples from beds and 20 samples from floors, 186 of them (23.7%) were negative--without any mites. In the positive samples there were identified 1794 arthropods, 1776 were mites and 18 were Psocopterae. Of the total mite number 1263 (71.1%) were mites of the family Pyroglyphidae. 9. The other mite families were represented by 513 pieces, i.e. 28.6% of the total arthropod number. 10. In the studied localities there were identified three species of the family Pyroglyphidae and 15 species of other families, the representatives of the families Ereinaetidae, Tetranychidae (not determined preciselier), and Oribatei.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
