PREVALENCE OF AEROALLERGENS IN ALLERGIC PATIENTS IN AHVAZ

Abstract Background and Objective: Allergic diseases are extremely common disorders worldwide. Different allergens can cause allergic symptoms. In order to take preventive measures and appropriate treatment stratgies of allergic diseases, identification of allergens is essential step in each region. The purpose of this study was to determine sensitivity to common aeroallergens by skin prick test. Subjects and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 410 patients with the sign and symptoms of allergic diseases were investigated for 24 common aeroallergens using skin prick test. Data were analyzed by SPSS-18 software using Chi squared test. Results: Of 410 patients 354 (86.3%) had positive skin test to at least one of the aeroallergens. Common outdoor allergens (65.6%) were higher than indoor allergens (42.6%). Outdoor allergens with lots of weeds (62.3%) were the most common allergens. Among the weeds, Salsola kali and Amaranthus retroflexus had the highest frequency (72.2 and 70.7% respectively) and Lolium perenne with 34.4% had the lowest prevalence. The average concentration of total serum IgE levels in patients with positive reactions was 176 IU/ ml. Conclusion: Sensitization to pollen of the plants is the most common cause of respiratory allergic diseases in Ahvaz. These findings demonstrate that, in order to achieve a better control and prevention of allergic diseases, the role of plan pollens need to be considered as a major contributing factor in this area. Identifying and determining the most common allergens in the region can provide the necessary recommendations to Patients took an important step in controlling and preventing disease. ►Please cite this paper as: Prevalence of Aeroallergens in Allergic Patients in Ahvaz. Shakurnia A, Assarehzadegan M, Mozaffari A, Shakerinejad G,Maneshdavi N, Amini A, Norouzi R; Prevalence of aeroallergens in allergic patients in Ahvaz. Jundishapur Sci Med J 2013;12(1):587-595