Abstract
Objectives:To determine the prevalence, types, clinical presentations, triggers, and predictors of allergic disorders among medical students and interns at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Methods:A cross-sectional design was used for this study in which 600 medical students and interns were selected by a multistage stratified random sampling. A validated, confidential, self-administered questionnaire was used during 2016 / 2017. It asked about the previous diagnosis of allergic disorders, associated factors, types, clinical symptoms and the triggering allergenic. Descriptive & inferential statistics were done and logistic regression analysis was conducted.Results:The overall prevalence of diagnosed allergic disorder(s) among the participants was 36.2%.The commonest types of allergy were skin (33.8%) followed by respiratory (29.5%) presentations. The most frequently reported allergenic triggers were the house dust (45.6%) and smoke (30.4%). The first allergy predictor was family history of allergic disorders (aOR= 4.35, 95 % CI: 2.96-6.39), followed by female gender. Regarding the outcome of allergy on students’ life, 16.1% occasionally missed classes, and 28.6% had sleep disturbance during allergic attacks.Conclusion:Allergy represents an important problem among medical students and interns. Family history and female gender were the predictors of allergy. Skin and respiratory allergies were the most common types. House dust and smoke were the commonest allergenic triggers. Detection of allergens and management of cases of allergy among medical students and interns are needed. Education and conduction of awareness campaigns about allergy are needed.
Highlights
Allergy is a widespread global public health problem.[1]
Participants with family history of allergic disorders were about 5 times more prone to have allergy compared to others (OR= 4.7, 95% C.I.: 3.226.87)
16.1% of students with allergy reported missing their classes due to it, and 28.6% complained from sleep disturbance during allergic attacks
Summary
Allergy is a widespread global public health problem.[1] It has continuously escalating rates, and it can lead to serious complications.[1,2] The etiology of allergy is due to interactions between both environmental factors, with the permissive genetic. Correspondence: November 4, 2018 April 24, 2019 April 29, 2019 factors.[3] Allergy is a hypersensitivity reaction in which the immune mechanism responds (by IgE antibody) to the environmental materials (allergen) that are normally considered harmless.[4].
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