Is month of birth an important factor for sensitization to inhalant allergens in patients with symptoms similar to Allergic Rhinitis?

Abstract

In this retrospective study, performed in the European region of Istanbul, it was aimed to investigate whether the birth month is a factor in inhalant allergen sensitivity in patients with symptoms similar to allergic rhinitis (AR). Skin prick test was applied to 3460 patients with symptoms similar to AR. The allergens used in the study were grouped according to their origin in four main categories: plants, fungi, house dust mites and animal epithelium (cat and dog). The results were retrospectively evaluated using SPSS analysis software. 2302 patients (66.5%) had at least one or more sensitization to the common inhalant allergens. Pollen sensitization was found to be the most common (53.8%) while sensitivity to the animal dander was the lowest (21.7%) among the individuals. Birth in June and July increased the risk for developing sensitization to the house dust mite (p< 0.012) whereas, birth in August was correlated with a lower risk of sensitization to Quercus Robur (p< 0.038). This study showed that individuals born in summer period can be at risk for developing HDM sensitizations. Thus, it is important to keep the house dust mites as low as possible by taking preventative measures in houses. Our findings may contribute to the planning of personalized preventive health care services for patients with AR-like symptoms.