The prevalence of allergic diseases and allergic sensitization among urban office workers and forest service workers

摘要

Background: Asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR), and atopic dermatitis (AD) are the most prevalent allergic diseases and number of studies has shown an increase in prevalence of both all over the world in recent years. Although little about the prevalence of asthma, AR, and AD in Korean adults. And the incident sensitization to common allergens in the setting of sensitization to an occupational allergen has not been described. Aim: Our aim was to determine the prevalence of living and working place in adults. And also, determines the sensitization to common allergens in subjects with incident sensitization to a work-related allergen. Methods: A modified International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was used to survey from two areas in Korea between September and October, 2012. We performed questionnaire survey and allergy skin prick test with 27 common inhalant allergens among 276 subjects (response rate, 100%, n=276) age 21-54 years in Seoul and forest service workers. One hundred five subjects were forest service workers and 171 subjects were urban office workers. Results: The mean age was 33.7 ± 7.6 years. There were 117 man and 159 women. A history of asthma was noted in 7.2% and a history of AR was noted in 30.4%. And a history of AD was noted 9.3%. The each group of sensitization to allergen were 51.5% (urban) and 38.1% (forest), (p=0.038). The most common allergen was mites. The sensitization to cat allergen were more high in urban office workers (p=0.005). Conclusion: The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in urban areas was high. And urban officer workers were also high with sensitization rate compare to forest workers. The interesting results were the pollen sensitization rate in urban areas showed higher tendencies. More research will be needed in futures.