Atopic allergy to allergens inhaled by displaced people in Mosul City

Abstract

This study covered 100 displaced persons from Mosul city to which skin tests were applied as well as count of eosinophils, to detect allergy. Only 35 persons of both genders exhibited positive response to the used allergens with an increased number of eosinophils. 8 males and 27 females, and their ages ranged between 17-77 years. At testing the skin for the inhaled allergens, Saliceae trees recorded the highest overall percentage of allergy (60%), Betulaceae family recorded an overall percentage of allergy (45.7%) followed by Timothy overall percentage (42.9%), Salsola (34.3%), the combination of three trees including Corylus, Alnus and Betula (31.4%), the plant Artemisia (25.7%), Urtica dioica (22.9%), and finally Fraxinus excelsior (22.8%). Dogs and cats hairs recorded the highest percentage of allergy (51%) among epithelial tissue allergens, followed by horse hair (31.4%) and the least percentage was of feathers (8.6%). Houses dust mite when mixing the two types Dermatophoides farina and D. pteronyssinus recorded the highest percentage (45.7%). Among the fungi, Alternaria alternate recorded the highest percentage (37.1%), Cladosporum herbarum (34.2%) and the least percentage was related to the fungus Aspergillus fumigatu (28.6%). The studied sensitizers (except feathers) have significant difference at probability level of P < 0/05.

Keywords

• atopic allergy
• skin test
• differential wbc eosinophil count
• salicaceae
• epithelial tissues
• house dust mite