Skin Prick Testing and Immunotherapy in Nasobronchial Allergy: Our Experience

Abstract

In the present study of 331 patients suffering from signs/symptoms of nasal allergy, 9 nasal polyps, allergic conjunctivitis and allergic asthma, who were referred by clinician, were taken up for diagnosis of allergy with skin prick test (Ten et al. Mayo Clin Proc 70(8):783-784, 1995) and subjective improvement of patients by immunotherapy. Out of 331 patients tested 321 patients showed significant positive results and rest of them tested negative for allergy. High incidences of positive results were noted in third and fourth decade age of patients. Dust and pollen allergens were positive in most of the patients compare to insect's antigens. Among the pollen antigens tested, those of Parthenium hysterophorus was found to be the most common (30%) followed by Prosopis julifora (25%). 75.22% patients were positive to house dust, 19.33% patients were positive to Aspergillus moulds. D. farinae was the most common offender amongst the mites. Patients who attended, allergy clinic in Kamineni Hospitals during the last 4 years were referral patients, who had been on prolonged treatment without much relief. Immunotherapy was advised to patients who were having perineal allergy, in whom, medical treatment had become only palliative. Immunotherapy injections were administered subcutaneously, and their results were monitored.

Aeroallergen sensitization and allergic disease phenotypes in Asia

“…The highest rates of HDM sensitization were reported in Singapore (70 to >90%), followed by Taiwan (85-90%) and South India (89.7%). 5,16,24,25 The lowest sensitization rates were described in North India (7.8%), Vietnam (9-23%) and Philippines (33-47%). 15,22,27 Atopic Asians were mostly sensitized to the Dermatophagoides house dust mite species, with a slightly lower percentage sensitized to Blomia Tropicalis.…”

“…Aeroallergen sensitization patterns in atopic individuals in various Asian countries, namely China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam are shown in the Table 1 and Figure 1. 5,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] No published data from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia were available. Studies involving aeroallergen distribution alone without human sensitization, and those involving sensitization without associated atopy were not included.…”

“…Rates of sensitization to pollen were almost universally low among all the Asian countries with available data, except for South and East India where subtropical grasses abound and Japan, in which cedar pollinosis is a unique medical entity. 16,17 Japanese cedar pollen is a major aeroallergen unique to Japan and has been implicated in allergic airway diseases in Japanese children. [31][32][33] The dispersed cedar pollen load in Japan increased significantly in the last 30 years following maturation of cedar forests planted after the Second World War.…”

A Descriptive Study on Aeroallergen Sensitivity Pattern in Children with Bronchial Asthma and/or Allergic Rhinitis

“…23 Another study from Southern India in patients with nasobronchial allergy showed a high prevalence of mite allergy (73.7%) and pollen allergy (75.8%). 24 The reason for this difference from the same geographical area is probably because of seasonal and annual fluctuations in allergens. Heterogeneity in allergen extract composition can lead to the different patterns of sensitization observed in our study.…”

Current glimpse of airborne allergenic pollen in Indian subcontinent

“…The highest sensitivity was found towards Parthenium hysterophorus (30.21%), Prosopis juliflora (25.67%), Eucalyptus spp. (20.54%), Brassica nigra (15.40%), followed by a lesser number of people sensitive towards Chenopodium album, Cocos nucifera, and Acacia arabica [8]. More than 80% out of 331 patients had naso-polips.…”