Journal of Asthma and Allergy (Apr 2022)
Aero-Allergen Sensitization in the General Population: Longitudinal Analyses of the LEAD (Lung Heart Social Body) Study
Abstract
Franziska Kölli,1,2 Marie-Kathrin Breyer,2,3 Sylvia Hartl,1– 3 Otto Burghuber,1,2 Emiel FM Wouters,2,4 Torben Sigsgaard,5 Wolfgang Pohl,6 Gabriele Kohlböck,2 Robab Breyer-Kohansal2,3 1Sigmund Freud University, Faculty of Medicine, Vienna, Austria; 2Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Vienna, Austria; 3Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Clinic Penzing, Vienna, Austria; 4NUTRIM School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; 5Department of Public Health, Section of Environment, Occupation & Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; 6Karl Landsteiner Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pneumology, Clinic Hietzing, Vienna, AustriaCorrespondence: Franziska Kölli, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Sanatroium Street 2, Vienna, 1140, Austria, Tel +436645127500, Email [email protected]: Monitoring of sensitization may become a non-invasive marker of impaired epithelial barrier function related to changing environmental conditions.Objective: To longitudinally evaluate the prevalence and associated factors for positive skin prick tests (SPT) in a general population cohort.Methods: Baseline and 4-year follow-up data from the longitudinal LEAD study are used for the current analyses. Risk factors for SPT were analyzed by multivariate binary logistic regression analyses, including residence (urban/rural), sex, socioeconomic status (SES), allergic and/or respiratory diseases, lung function testing, blood eosinophils, body composition, lifestyle habits, family history, pets in household, and exposure to tobacco smoke in childhood/adolescence (6– 18 years) and adulthood (≥ 19 years).Results: In total, 1439 children/adolescents and 9844 adults with valid SPTs were included in these analyses. The prevalence of sensitization at baseline was 37.6% and was higher in males in every age group, except 10–< 15 years. Individuals with doctor´s diagnosed allergy, asthma or parental allergy were more likely to have a positive SPT; in adulthood, sensitization was more common in those with a high SES. A lower occurrence of sensitization was associated with the presence of a dog in the household in childhood/adolescence and with smoking in adulthood. The prevalence and intensity (number of positive SPT reactions) increased after a 4-year follow-up, especially in children/adolescents.Conclusion: Sensitization is common in the general Austrian population and more likely in males than females. Longitudinal monitoring of sensitization in children/adolescents may identify environmental triggers related to changes in urbanization, industrialization and domestic lifestyle. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01727518.Keywords: allergy, sensitization, aero-allergens, childhood/adolescence, adults
