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

Abstract

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.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13601-019-0246-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Heterogeneity of Adult Rhinitis for Multimorbidity and Age at Onset among Non-Sensitized Rhinitis and Mono-/Poly-Sensitized Rhinitis: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

“…The association between poly-sensitization and multimorbidity in adult patients with rhinitis in the current study seems to be inherent in the nature of poly-sensitization and not likely due to differences in sensitized allergens as observed in the comparison between mono-sR patients sensitized to HDM and to pollen. On the other hand, the association between asthma-rhinitis multimorbidity and IgE polysensitization is not clear in the current study, which is inconsistent with recent studies based on adult asthma cohorts that reported the asthma-rhinitis multimorbidity is associated with IgE poly-sensitization in adolescents and adults [19][20][21]. However, such a relationship between asthma-rhinitis multimorbidity and IgE poly-sensitization has not been consistent even in the European population [13,[22][23][24].…”

Importance of food allergy and food intolerance in allergic multimorbidity

“…The following definitions of multimorbidity and polysensitisation were adopted for the purposes of the study: allergic multimorbidity -concomitant presence of at least 2 of the following 3 allergic diseases: bronchial asthma (BA), allergic rhinitis (AR) and atopic dermatitis (AD). Polysensitisation -sensitisation to at least 2 allergens or groups of allergens (sensitisation to 2 allergens of the same group is not considered polysensitisation) [29].…”

“…Children with AD, asthma or AR are at a higher risk for food allergies than healthy children [27,28]. Research to date has mostly focused on the description of relationships between asthma, AD and AR [29], while data on the link between these diseases and food allergy are scarce [30].…”

<p>Major Pollen Allergen Components and CCD Detection in Bermuda Grass Sensitized Patients in Guangzhou, China</p>

“…17 Additionally, polysensitization may also relate to multimorbidity, especially in children. 18 Due to some of the clinical data of the studied population not being available, the multimorbidity as well as disease severity were not analyzed in polysensitization patients.…”