Sensitization to environmental mites and fungi in pediatric patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis

Abstract

Background: the correct diagnosis on what the allergens that sensitize the patient are makes it possible to establish an adequate management of the disease, avoiding the contact of patients with these allergens and establishing a more precise desensitizing therapy.Objective: to determine the sensitization to environmental mites and fungi in pediatric patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis treated at the allergy department of the "Romárico Oro" University Polyclinic of Puerto Padre, Las Tunas, during the period 2016 to 2020.Methods: an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out with 165 patients between the ages of 5 and 18 years, and with a diagnosis of bronchial asthma and/or allergic rhinitis, at the aforementioned institution and during the period herein declared. Each patient underwent the prick skin test, using allergenic extracts from three mites and three environmental fungi. Simple descriptive statistical tests were used and the t-Student and chi-square tests were used for the comparison of variables.Results: in 73,3 % of the patients the skin test was positive for at least one of the allergens used; male patients and those with a family history of allergic disease predominated; mites showed higher prevalence of sensitization than that found among environmental fungi; Blomia tropicalis mite presented the highest prevalence of sensitization with 53,72 % and was responsible for a skin response of greater intensity.Conclusions: sensitization to environmental mites and fungi was determined in the studied sample of pediatric patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Keywords

• allergens
• hypersensitivity
• mites
• fungi
• asthma
• rhinitis, allergic