Patterns of aeroallergen sensitization among children with allergic rhinitis in eastern Thailand
Keywords:
Allergic rhinitis children, Prevalence of allergen sensitizationAbstract
Introduction: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is the most common chronic disease among children in Thailand as well as in other parts of the world. Knowledge about the patterns of allergen sensitization among these children is important since it will lead to a better understanding of the disease’s pathogenesis, prevention and treatment. Currently, there is a limitation of data on allergy sensitization among these children in Eastern Thailand.
Objective: To study a 5-year pattern of allergen sensitization among children with AR presenting
to the Pediatric Allergy Clinic of the Burapha University Hospital. The 5-year period was from 2016 to 2020.
Materials and methods: A retrospective and descriptive study of 100 children with AR, aged 2-15 years, was conducted at the Pediatric Allergy Clinic of the Burapha University Hospital. Demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed with an SPSS statistical package
using appropriate descriptive and comparative modules.
Results: The mean age (SD) of the subjects in this study was 9.63 (3.14) years. The third most common cause of allergy sensitization in this group of patients was Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dp)(90%), followed by Dermatophagoides farinae (Df) (68%) and American
cockroaches (33%). Other allergens included German cockroaches, cat dander, Bermuda grass, careless weed, dog dander, acacia, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Johnson grass, and Para grass at 23, 16, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12, 11, 8, 7, and 7% respectively. Children sensitized to a greater number of allergens were not significantly associated with increased risk of other comorbidities
(52.17% vs 35.48%, OR 1.92, CI 0.80-4.63, p = 0.14). Children with allergic conjunctivitis in addition to rhinitis were found to be mite-sensitized by 96.5%. As per Allergic Rhinitis as Initiative for Asthma (ARIA) classification, 86% had mild-persistent AR. All patients with moderate-to-severe
AR regularly used intranasal corticosteroids – which was significantly more frequently used than those with less severity (100% vs 51.7%, p = 0.03). Those with mild-intermittent AR had a higher remission rate as compared with those having moderate and severe AR (100% vs 14.3%,
p = 0.003).
Conclusion: Similar to studies from other parts of Thailand, house dust mites are the most common causes of AR among children in eastern Thailand. Slightly higher sensitization to outdoor allergens (grasses, weeds and molds such as Cladosporium and Alternaria) was also
observed. This is perhaps due to a higher rate of exposure to these outdoor allergens. A higher sensitization to cat and dog dander was also noted
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