Association between sensitization and allergic diseases in 7-years-old Korean children
Eun Lee,1 Dong In Suh,2 So-Yeon Lee,3 Sungsu Jung,4 Jisun Yoon,5 Hyun-Ju Cho,6 Youngho Kim,3 Song-I Yang,7 Ji-won Kwon,8 Gwang Cheon Jang,9 Yong Han Sun,10 Sung-Il Woo,11 You-Sook Youn,12 Kang Seo Park,13 Hwa Jin Cho,1 Myung-Hee Kook,14 Hye Ryoung Yi,14 Hai Lee Chung,15 Ja-Hyeong Kim,16 Hyung Young Kim,4 Jin A Jung,17 Hyang-Ok Woo,18 Jeom-Kyu Lee,19 Woo-Sung Chang,19 Soo-Jong Hong3
1 Department of Pediatrics, Chonnam National University Hospital, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea
2 Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
3 Department of Pediatrics, Childhood Asthma Atopy Center, Environmental Health Center, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
4 Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University, Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea
5 Department of Pediatrics, Mediplex Hospital, Incheon, Republic of Korea
6 Department of Pediatrics, International St. Mary’s hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Korea
7 Department of Pediatrics, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Anyang, Korea
8 Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University, Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
9 Department of Pediatrics, National Health Insurance Service, Ilsan Hospital, Ilsan, Korea
10 Department of Pediatrics, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea
11 Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Korea
12 Departments of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Daejeon, Korea
13 Department of Pediatrics, Presbyterian Medical Center, Jeonju, Korea
14 Department of Pediatrics, Gwangju Veterans Hospital, Gwangju, Korea
15 Department of Pediatrics, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea
16 Department of Pediatrics, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan, Korea
17 Department of Pediatrics, Anatomy, College of Medicine, Dong-A University, Busan, Korea
18 Department of Pediatrics, Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine, Jinju, Korea
19 Division of Allergy and Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Center for Biomedical Sciences Korea National Institute of Health, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Osong, Korea
Abstract
Background: Sensitization is associated with the exacerbation, severity, and prognosis of allergic diseases in children
Objective: We characterized the association between sensitization patterns and allergic diseases.
Methods: A cohort of 548 children was enrolled from Panel Study of Korean Children (PSKC) study. Skin prick tests (SPTs) for 18 common allergens, blood tests, and methacholine bronchial challenge tests were performed at age 7. The Korean version of International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was used.
Results: The sensitization rate on SPTs was 46.4%. Sensitization to indoor allergens showed an association with symptoms of asthma (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.39; 95% confidence intervals [95% CIs], 1.10-5.23), allergic rhinitis (AR, aOR 2.08, 95% CIs 1.42-3.06), and atopic dermatitis (AD, aOR 2.36, 95% CIs 1.24-4.50) in the preceding 12 months. In contrast, sensitization to outdoor allergens was associated with AR diagnosis only (aOR 2.40, 95% CIs 1.30-4.41). The number of sensitized allergens was associated with a lifetime diagnosis and symptoms in the preceding 12 months of AR and asthma, but not with AD or BHR. A higher degree of sensitization to indoor allergens was associated with symptoms in the preceding 12 months of asthma, AR, AD, and that for outdoor allergens was associated with symptoms in the prior 12 months of asthma and AR.
Conclusion: The sensitization patterns including allergen type, number, and degree of sensitization are helpful for interpreting the association between sensitization and allergic diseases and identifying the pathophysiologies and diverse phenotypes of allergic diseases.
Key words: sensitization, pattern, children, allergic diseases, bronchial hyperresponsiveness,