ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of allergic reactions due to bee stings in beekeepers varies in different regions of the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of sting reactions and the risk factors for developing systemic reactions in Turkish beekeepers. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 1250 beekeepers to be completed in seven different cities of Turkey. A total of 494 (39.6 %) questionnaires were returned. RESULTS: There were 444 subjects (89.9 %) with a history of sting exposure in the previous 12 months. Systemic reactions were present in 29 subjects (6.5 %) and nine (2 %) reactions were anaphylactic. Fifty-five percent of beekeepers reported more than 100 bee stings in the previous year. When systemic reactions were controlled by age and duration of beekeeping in a logistic regression model, seasonal rhinitis (OR: 4.4, 95 % CI: 1.2-11.5), perennial rhinitis (OR: 4.6, 95 % CI: 1.2-18.2), food allergy (OR:7.0, 95 % CI: 2.0-25.0), physician-diagnosed asthma (OR: 8.0, 95 % CI: 2.5-25.6), having an atopic disease of any type (OR: 3.3, 95 % CI: 1.2-8.7) and having two or more atopic diseases (OR: 10.9, 95 % CI: 3.5-33.8) were significantly associated with systemic reactions due to bee sting in the previous 12 months. CONCLUSION: The incidence of systemic reactions in Turkish beekeepers is low, which might be due to the protective effect of a high frequency of bee stings. The risk of systemic reactions increases approximately three-fold when one atopic disease is present and eleven-fold when two or more concurrent atopic diseases are present with respect to no atopic disease.
Subject(s)
Anaphylaxis/epidemiology , Asthma/epidemiology , Bees , Food Hypersensitivity/epidemiology , Honey/adverse effects , Occupational Diseases/epidemiology , Propolis/adverse effects , Adult , Anaphylaxis/etiology , Animals , Asthma/etiology , Bee Venoms/adverse effects , Drug Hypersensitivity/complications , Drug Hypersensitivity/epidemiology , Eczema/epidemiology , Eczema/etiology , Food Hypersensitivity/etiology , Humans , Hypersensitivity, Immediate/complications , Hypersensitivity, Immediate/epidemiology , Incidence , Insect Bites and Stings/complications , Insect Bites and Stings/therapy , Logistic Models , Male , Middle Aged , Pollen/adverse effects , Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial/epidemiology , Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial/etiology , Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal/epidemiology , Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal/etiology , Risk Factors , Smoking/epidemiology , Surveys and Questionnaires , Turkey/epidemiology , Waxes/adverse effectsABSTRACT
Background: The prevalence of allergic reactions due to bee stings in beekeepers varies in different regions of the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of sting reactions and the risk factors for developing systemic reactions in Turkish beekeepers. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 1250 beekeepers to be completed in seven different cities of Turkey. A total of 494 (39.6 %) questionnaires were returned. Results: There were 444 subjects (89.9 %) with a history of sting exposure in the previous 12 months. Systemic reactions were present in 29 subjects (6.5 %) and nine (2 %) reactions were anaphylactic. Fifty-five percent of beekeepers reported more than 100 bee stings in the previous year. When systemic reactions were controlled by age and duration of beekeeping in a logistic regression model, seasonal rhinitis (OR: 4.4, 95 % CI: 1.2-11.5), perennial rhinitis (OR: 4.6, 95 % CI: 1.2-18.2), food allergy (OR:7.0, 95 % CI: 2.0-25.0), physician-diagnosed asthma (OR: 8.0, 95 % CI: 2.5-25.6), having an atopic disease of any type (OR: 3.3, 95 % CI: 1.2-8.7) and having two or more atopic diseases (OR: 10.9, 95 % CI: 3.5-33.8) were significantly associated with systemic reactions due to bee sting in the previous 12 months. Conclusion: The incidence of systemic reactions in Turkish beekeepers is low, which might be due to the protective effect of a high frequency of bee stings. The risk of systemic reactions increases approximately three-fold when one atopic disease is present and eleven-fold when two or more concurrent atopic diseases are present with respect to no atopic disease
Antecedentes: la prevalencia de las reacciones alérgicas por la picadura de abejas en los apicultores varia en las diferentes regiones del mundo. Este estudio está encaminado a evaluar las características de las reacciones a la picadura y los factores de riesgo para que tengan lugar reacciones sistémicas en los apicultores turcos. Métodos: Se envió un cuestionario a 1.250 apicultores de siete ciudades diferentes de Turquía, para que lo retornarán tras cumplimentarlo, lo que hicieron 494 (39,6%) de ellos. Resultados: En los 12 últimos meses, 444 (89,9%) de los apicultores habían sufrido picaduras. 29 (6,5%) habían tenido reacciones sistémicas, 9 de ellas (2%) reacciones anafilácticas. El 55% de los apicultores habían sido sufrido más de 100 picaduras en el último año. Cuando las reacciones sistémicas se controlaron en función de la edad y la duración de la apicultura en un modelo de regresión logística, la rinitis estacional (OR: 4.4, 95% CI:1.2-11.5), rinitis perenne (OR: 4.6, 95% CI:1.2-18.2), alergia alimentaria (OR: 7.0, 95% CI:2.0-25.0), asma diagnosticada por el médico (OR: 8.0, 95% CI: 2.5-25.6), tener una enfermedad atópica (OR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.2-8.7), y tener dos o más enfermedades atópicas (OR: 10.9, 95% CI: 3.5-33.8), estaban asociadas significativamente con reacciones sistémicas causadas por picadura de abeja en al menos los últimos 12 meses. Conclusión: la incidencia de reacciones sistémicas en los apicultores turcos es baja, lo que puede deberse al efecto protector de la alta frecuencia de picaduras de abeja. El riesgo de reacciones sistémicas aumenta aproximadamente tres veces cuando el apicultor ya padece una enfermedad atópica y once veces cuando concurren dos o más enfermedades atópicas, en comparación con los apicultores que no padecen enfermedades de esta naturaleza
