Number Of Positive Prick Tests Research Articles

Dissociating polysensitization and multimorbidity in children and adults from a Polish general population cohort

BackgroundLinks between multimorbidity of allergic diseases and allergen sensitization are still under debate, especially in adults. This study aimed to establish a relationship between polysensitization and allergic multimorbidity in children and adults and the allergens involved in multimorbidity.Material and methodA cross-sectional multicentre study enrolled children aged 6–7 and 13–14 years and adults aged 20–44 years from a Polish national cohort. The diagnosis of allergic diseases was made by a physician. Skin prick tests to 13 allergens and serum IgE levels to 4 allergens were tested.ResultsAmong the 3856 participants, single disease (asthma, allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis) was diagnosed in 27.7% subjects and allergic multimorbidity in 9.3%. Allergic multimorbidity occurred more commonly in children than in adults (p < 0.01). Asthma or atopic dermatitis alone were not associated with polysensitization. Rhinitis and multimorbidity were associated with polysensitization. Allergic multimorbidity occurred in 2.2% of participants with negative skin prick tests, 9.8% of those with one positive prick test (SPT ≥ 3 mm) and 20.6% of polysensitized ones (p < 0.001). There was an increasing risk of multimorbidity depending on the number of positive prick tests for both SPT ≥ 3 mm (OR 9.6–16.5) and SPT ≥ 6 mm (OR 5.9–13.7). A statistically significant relationship was found between allergic multimorbidity and sensitization to cat and mite allergens.ConclusionsMultimorbidity is associated with polysensitization especially in children compared with adults in Polish population cohort. New insights into single disease patterns were found: bronchial asthma is the strongest risk factor for the development of multimorbidity in comparison with allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis.

The relationship between IgE-mediated and cell-mediated hypersensitivities in an unselected Danish population: the Glostrup Allergy Study, Denmark.

In this study, we have assessed the relationship between IgE-mediated and cell-mediated hypersensitivities in an unselected population living in western Copenhagen, Denmark. A total of 793 subjects, aged 15-69 years, were studied. Measurements of total serum IgE, prick tests with aero-allergens and patch tests with environmental haptens were performed in 561 (70.7% of 793) subjects. One or more positive prick tests were present in 28.4%, and contact sensitization occurred in 15.2%. When adjusted for the effects of sex and age, the probability of contact sensitization to one or more hapten was independent of serum IgE level (the odds ratio value (OR) = 1.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.7-1.4), and the probability of contact sensitization was independent of the number of positive prick tests (OR = 1.0; CI = 0.8-1.2). Contact sensitization appeared to be independent of enhanced IgE responsiveness in an unselected adult population.