Abstract
Few studies addressed trans-regional differences in allergen sensitization between areas within a similar latitudinal range but with distinct geomorphological features. We investigated specific IgE (sIgE) positivity to common allergens in populations from two southern China provinces. Using a uniformed protocol, serum samples were collected from 2778 subjects with suspected atopy in coastal Guangdong and inland Yunnan. The overall prevalence of sIgE positivity were 57.8% (95% CI: 56.0%, 59.6%) from Guangdong vs 60.9% (95% CI: 59.1%, 62.7%) from Yunnan. House dust mite (d1) was the most common allergen in both regions. Among d1-sensitized subjects, only 35.7% (208/583) in Guangdong and 22.9% (147/642) in Yunnan tested positive for d1 alone. Among those poly-sensitized d1-positive subjects, cockroach was the most common co-sensitizing aeroallergen. 41.9% of the d1-sensitized Guangdong subjects showed high-class sIgE reactivity (≥class 4), in contrast to a very low percentage of such reactivity in Yunnan. However, 36.3% of d1-sensitized subjects in Yunnan were concomitantly positive for tree pollen mix. Surprisingly, Yunnan subjects showed high prevalence of sIgE positivity for crabs and shrimps, either by overall or by age-group analysis, compared with their Guangdong counterparts (both P < 0.05). These findings may add to data about local allergies in China and worldwide.
Highlights
Studies have shown that allergens as a cause of allergic diseases exhibit regional characteristics in distribution given their broad spectrum
In Guangdong, the overall prevalence of allergen sensitization was relatively high among pediatric subjects (0–14 years of age), and was the highest in age group 7–14 years (75.3%, 95% CI: 69.2%, 81.3%)
Yunnan subjects aged 15–50 years had the highest prevalence of specific IgE (sIgE) positivity (63.3%, 95% CI: 59.9%, 66.8%), which was significantly higher compared with subjects of the same age group in Guangdong (47.3%, 95% CI: 43.3%, 51.4%; X2 = 33.805, P < 0.001)
Summary
Studies have shown that allergens as a cause of allergic diseases exhibit regional characteristics in distribution given their broad spectrum. Guangdong is a southeastern province of the Mainland China facing the South China Sea, located within latitudes 20°09′N–25°31′N and longitudes 109°45′E–117°20′E, with a total population of 108 million (as of 2015). In this coastal region, the landforms consist of hills and plains, and the climate is characteristic of tropical and subtropical monsoon marine zone, i.e. with a mean temperature ranging between 18 °C and 24 °C almost of the. Located within the similar latitudes range (21°09′N–29°15′N) as is Guangdong, Yunnan province covers diverse climatic zones (tropical, temperate, and frigid), with vertical and horizontal changes in perennial temperature and rainfall owing to the influence of landforms, elevation, and latitudes. Guangdong and Yunnan provinces belong to typical parts of the southern coastal and inland regions in China, respectively, showing obvious dissimilarity in terms of natural environments between each other (Fig. 1)
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