Prevalence of food‐allergen and aeroallergen sensitization among people in Sichuan, Western China: An 8‐year observational study

摘要

Background Identifying the distribution of allergens is invaluable to effective diagnosis and treatment of allergic disease. The present study aims to analyze the epidemiology of allergens in Sichuan, Western China. Methods A total of 14?030 participants including 8031 men and 5999 women were enrolled in this study during 2007‐2014 in West China Hospital. An assay testing for the presence of allergen‐specific IgE was used to identify highly immunogenic allergens. Results Of the 14?030 total participants, 3470 (24.72%) were sensitive to at least one of tested allergens. The most immunogenic allergens were mite mix (1876, 13.38%), crab (876, 6.24%), sea‐fish mix (865, 6.16%), house dust (355, 2.54%), and cockroach (292, 2.08%). The differences between population of participants who were sensitive to food allergens and aeroallergens were statistically significant in 0 to 10, 11 to 20, 21 to 30, 41 to 50, and 51 to 60 year‐old age‐groups (all P ??0.05). Distributions of three food allergens and two aeroallergens were significantly different between male and female participants. There was also an increase in sensitization to cow's milk, mutton, sea‐fish, and mould that was observed in the 71 to 90 year‐old group. Conclusion The most common allergens presented in Sichuan were observed to be mites, crab, sea‐fish, and house dust. There was an observable difference in sensitivity to five allergens between males and females. Additionally, aeroallergens appeared to have a greater immunogenic effect in younger populations while the elderly presented with increased sensitization to specific allergens, suggesting that specific allergens' immunogenicity was age‐dependent.