Published in: Allergology International 1998;47:187-196
Nils
E Eriksson (co-ordinator), Anders Holmén,
Christian Möller, Jan Åke Wihl
Lung
& Allergy Clinic and Dept of Research and Development, Central Hospital,
Halmstad, Sweden, Dept Paediatrics , Umeå, Sweden and
Dept. Otorinolaryngology, Malmö, Sweden
Besides the authors, the following clinicians participated in the study:
|
Roald
Bolle |
Dept.
Paediatrics, Tromsö, Norway |
|
Ronald
Dahl |
Dept.
Pulmonology, Aarhus, Denmark |
|
David
Gisslason |
Dept.
Pulmonology, Gardabaer,
Iceland |
|
Hugo
Hagstad |
Dept.
Pulmonology, Boden, Sweden |
|
Kent
Åke Henricson |
Dept.
Paediatrics, Halmstad, Sweden |
|
Natalja
Ilina Ljudmilla
Luss Vera
Fedeseva |
Dept.
Therapy, Institute of Immunology, Moskva, Russia |
|
Jaak
Kiviloog |
Dept.
Lung Medicine, Örebro, Sweden |
|
Hans
Matsols |
Dept.
Medicine, Falun, Sweden |
|
Kerstin
Norrlind |
Dept.
Medicine, Danderyd, Sweden |
|
Maria
Petrova Elena
Bobrova Tatiana
Guembitskaia |
State
Scientific Centre of Pulmonology, St.
Petersburg, Russia |
|
Peter
Plaschke |
Division
of Asthma and Allergy, Göteborg, Sweden
(present address: Dept. med. Roskilde Amts Hospital, Roskilde,
Denmark) |
|
Lea
Praks |
Hosp.
Pulm. Diseases, Tartu, Estonia |
|
Ljudmilla
Raudla Elga
Mesimaa |
Inst.
Exp. Medicine, Tallinn, Estonia |
|
Brita
Stenius- Aarniala |
Div.
Pulmonology, Helsinki, Finland |
|
Inga-Lisa
Strannegård |
Dept.
Paediatrics, Göteborg, Sweden |
|
Gunnemar
Stålenheim |
Dept.
Pulmonology, Uppsala, Sweden |
|
Margareta
Söderberg |
Dept.
Pulm. Med. and Allergology, Umeå, Sweden |
|
Elenora
Tananko |
Institute
of Clinical Immunology, Novosibirsk, Russia |
|
Julia
Tananko |
Primary
Health Clinic, Nizhne-Kamenka, Altai, Russia |
|
Galina Tsyvkina |
Clin
Immun & Allergy Centre, Vladivostok, Russia |
|
Marius
Zolubas |
Seamen’s
Hospital, Klaipeda, Lithuania |
Abstract
Skin
prick tests (SPTs) were performed on 2113 atopic patients (407 children and
1706 adults) with asthma and/or rhinitis at 24 allergy clinics in Iceland,
Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania and Russia. Test extracts were Dermatophagoides
pteronyssinus (DP), Dermatophagoides
farinae (DF), cat, dog, horse, birch, timothy, mugwort, Cladosporium,
Alternaria, cockroach, chironomids (red mosquito larvae, RML) and shrimp.
Among the allergens, timothy followed by cat,
birch and dog gave the highest number of positive SPTs. Positive SPTs
with house dust mites (HDM), furred animals, RML and Cladosporium were more
common in asthmatics than in patients with rhinitis; birch and timothy more
common in patients with rhinitis. Sensitization against DP, horse, timothy and
Cladosporium was more common in men than in women.
Although the general sensitization pattern of the atopic patients at
the participating centres showed similarities, there were also significant
differences between centres. Positive SPTs with furred animals were most
prevalent in Northern and Central Sweden and St Petersburg and least common in
Siberia and Denmark. Pollen allergy was most common in Novosibirsk and on the
west coast of Sweden and less common in Vladivostok. Sensitization against HDM
was most common in Lithuania and least prevalent in Northern Sweden and in
Finland. Insect allergens gave most positive reactions in St Petersburg and
least in Novosibirsk.
Sensitization against multiple allergens was found in 74% and a
mono-allergy in 26% of the patients. The
degree of atopy was higher in males than in females and higher in asthmatics
than in patients with rhinitis. The month of birth of the patients did not
significantly influence the test results.
It is concluded that although the sensitization pattern shows
similarities in different regions it is also to some extent influenced by
residence as well as by diagnosis, sex
and age of the patients