Journal of Asthma and Allergy (Jun 2024)
High Serum Allergen-Specific IgE of House Dust Mite in Predicting the Risk of Comorbidity in Children with Allergic Conjunctivitis
Abstract
Xiao-Jiao Tang,1– 4 Jia-Tong He,5 Qing Liu,1– 4 Enmei Liu,2– 4,6 Lin Chen1– 4 1Department of Ophthalmology, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 2National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 3Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 4Chongqing Key Laboratory of Child Neurodevelopment and Cognitive Disorders, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Health Management, Chongqing General Hospital, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Enmei Liu, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 136 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Chongqing, Yuzhong District, 400014, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8613368070773, Email [email protected] Lin Chen, Department of Ophthalmology, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, 136 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Chongqing, Yuzhong District, 400014, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8618623041022, Email [email protected]: To investigate the patterns of allergens in allergic conjunctivitis (AC) and the association with allergic comorbidity.Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled 2972 children with AC. Clinical data, including sex, age, allergic comorbidities (allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis), and serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE), were collected from the electronic medical record (EMR). The categorical variables were compared with the chi-square test. The characteristics of allergens in children of different ages and comorbidities were analyzed by trend chi-square. The sensitivity level of HDM associated with AC and comorbidities was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals of logistic regression analysis.Results: A total of 2972 children (2015 boys and 957 girls) with AC were included in the study. The mean age was 3.78 (0.5~12) years. The most common allergen was house dust mite(HDM) (43.41%). With age, the positive rate for inhaled allergens gradually increased, and the positive rate for ingested allergens decreased. With the number of comorbidities increasing, the positive rates of sensitization were 38.33%, 74.51%, 80.72%, and 89.05%, and the incidence of polysensitization was 44.66%, 56.48%, 59.54%, and 74.59%, respectively. With the increase of HDM-sIgE level, the number of comorbidities and the risk increased gradually.Conclusion: HDM is the most common allergen in AC children of different ages. High levels of HDM-sIgE may be a predictor for allergic comorbidities. Children with polysensitization and high levels of HDM sIgE will be an important target population for future intervention in other allergy-related disease prevention.Keywords: allergic conjunctivitis, specific IgE, allergic comorbidity, house dust mite, children
