Ha EK, Baek JH, Lee SY, Park YM, Kim WK, Sheen YH, Lee SJ, Bae Y, Kim J, Lee KJ, Ahn K, Kwon HJ, Han MY. Association of Polysensitization, Allergic Multimorbidity, and Allergy Severity: A Cross-Sectional Study of School Children.
Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2017;
171:251-260. [PMID:
28049188 DOI:
10.1159/000453034]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Accepted: 11/02/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Aeroallergen sensitization is related to the coexistence of allergic diseases, but the nature of this relationship is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship of polysensitization with allergic multimorbidities and the severity of allergic diseases.
METHODS
This study is a cross-sectional analysis of 3,368 Korean children aged 6-7 years-old. We defined IgE-mediated allergic diseases based on structured questionnaires, and classified the sensitivity to 18 aeroallergens by logistic regression and the Ward hierarchical clustering method. The relationship of polysensitization (positive IgE responses against 2 or more aeroallergens classes) with allergic multimorbidities (coexistence of 2 or more of the following allergic diseases: asthma, rhinitis, eczema, and conjunctivitis) and severity of allergic diseases was determined by ordinal logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS
The rate of polysensitization was 13.6% (n = 458, 95% CI 12.4-14.8) and that of allergic multimorbidity was 23.5% (n = 790, 95% CI 22.0-24.9). Children sensitized to more aeroallergens tended to have more allergic diseases (rho = 0.248, p < 0.001), although the agreement between polysensitization and multimorbidity was poor (kappa = 0.11, p < 0.001). The number allergen classes to which a child was sensitized increased the risk of wheezing attacks (1 allergen: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.22, 4 or more allergens: aOR 9.39), absence from school (1 allergen: aOR 1.96, 3 allergens: aOR 2.08), and severity of nasal symptoms (1 allergen: aOR 1.61, 4 or more allergens: aOR 4.38).
CONCLUSION
Polysensitization was weakly related to multimorbidity. However, the number of allergens to which a child is sensitized is related to the severity of IgE-mediated symptoms.
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