Season of birth linked to dust-mite asthma
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There appears to be an association between birth month and sensitization to house dust mites in asthmatic children, Korean researchers report.
Early exposure to high levels of allergy-triggering substances is key to the development of hypersensitivities, Dr. Young Yull Koh, of Seoul National University Hospital and colleagues write in the medical journal Allergy.
“In fact,” they report, “subjects sensitized to house dust mites have a significantly higher proportion of births in the season when house dust mites are most abundant.”
The researchers examined data on 2225 asthmatic patients between 10 and 16 years of age. A total of 1642 subjects sensitized to dust mites were identified by skin-prick testing. Of these, 715 were sensitized only to dust mites and 927 were sensitized to dust mites and other allergens.
The researchers observed a significant difference in birth month distribution for asthmatics sensitive only to dust mite. They were significantly more likely to have been born in August or September, and to a lesser degree in October. No such difference was seen in patients sensitized to dust mites and other allergens.
The team notes that studies of house dust mite allergen levels in the Seoul area showed that these were highest from August to October. Similar findings on dust mite abundance and allergy have been made in England and Denmark.
The investigators suggest that the high exposure to dust mite allergen in the first few months of life may have a particular impact in subjects with a high sensitization threshold who are less likely to become sensitized to other allergens.
SOURCE: Allergy, October 2005.
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