Search

Background: The prevalence of allergic diseases has risen in the last decades. The objective of this study was to determine the common allergens in children via the skin prick test. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 313 allergic children (4 months to 18 years old) referred to the Asthma and Allergy Clinic of Children’s Medical Center in Tehran. A questionnaire containing demographic data and patient history was completed. The Skin Prick Test (SPT) was selected according to the patients’ history of food and/or aeroallergen sensitivity. Results: Patients (62.4% male, 37.6% female) with symptoms of asthma (n=141, 57.1%), allergic rhinitis (n=50, 20.4%), atopic dermatitis (n=29, 11.7%), and urticaria (n=20, 8.1%) were studied. Positive skin prick test to at least one allergen was 58.1%. The most prevalent allergens were tree mix (26%), Alternaria alternata(26%), weed mix (23.6%), Dermatophagoides farinae (22.9%), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (22.9%), milk (21.7%), eggs (20%), and wheat flour (18.3%). Also, common allergens in the patients with different symptoms of allergic disorders were as follows: asthma (tree mix, weed mix, and Dermatophagoides farinae); allergic rhinitis (Dermatophagoides farinae, tree mix, and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus); and atopic dermatitis (Alternaria alternata, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and cockroaches).Conclusion: Identifying allergens in each area is necessary and has an important role in the diagnosis and management of allergic disorders and possibility of performing immunotherapy. In this study, the most common aeroallergens were tree mix, Alternaria alternata, and weed mix and also the most common food allergens were milk, eggs, and wheat. Considering these data, appropriate preventive strategies can decrease the cost and morbidity of therapeutic actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

World Health organization (WHO) has reported that out of more than 10,000 of 250,000 tuberculosis afflicted children die annually. Pulmonary tuberculosis is a research priority in our country, and diagnosing this disease especially in children who are known as the major transmitter of the disease is rather difficult. As a result, it was decided to conduct an overall assessment on this age group in order to determine the importance of the findings of chest radiography and skin test in diagnosing the disease. The present descriptive study was carried out based on the findings of a health plan in Fasa , a Iranian town, during 1995 and 1996, on 2 groups: first-grade students of Fasa elementary schools. Among 2263 students, 102 (4.5%) cases had a positive skin test. According to the radiographic findings, tuberculosis was reported in seven (6.9%) of them. The diagnosis of tuberculosis is more difficult in children; this is because taking sputum samples for laboratory examination is rather difficult especially in children lower than 10 years. In this group, diagnosis is made based on the symptoms like cough, weight loss, history of contact with a TB patient and other diagnostic procedures including chest radiographies and skin test. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers are usually exposed to various inhaled allergens like pollens, mites, molds, and animal dander in their working environment which may lead to allergic rhinitis, asthma and urticaria. The purpose of this study was to identify sensitization to various aeroallergens in farmers and their occupational allergy symptoms. This cross sectional study included 103 male farmers and 100 non-farmer healthy controls. The work-related symptoms of farmers were recorded with a questionnaire. Spirometry and skin prick tests with 15 commercial allergen extracts were performed in both farmers and controls. The rate of sensitization to at least one of the applied aeroallergens was 47.6% in farmers compared to 65% in the control group (OR=0.48; CI 95%, 1.08 to 2.07) according to skin prick tests, after adjusting for age. Occupational allergy symptoms were reported by 54.3% farmers. Mean FEV1/FVC was significantly lower in farmers than in controls (p<0.001). The results of this study showed that farmers had no increased risk of sensitization to aeroallergens. Sensitization to pollens was more prevalent than to mites among the farmers in our study and smoking was an important predisposing factor in farmers who suffered from occupational allergy symptoms.