FOUR-YEAR INCIDENCE OF ALLERGIC SENSITIZATION AMONG SCHOOLCHILDREN IN A COMMUNITY WHERE ALLERGY TO CAT AND DOG DOMINATES SENSITIZATION: REPORT FROM THE OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE IN NORTHERN SWEDEN STUDY GROUP

Ronmark E, Perzanowski M, Platts-Mills TAE, Lundback B. J Allergy Clin Immunol . 2003;112:747–754 To evaluate the incidence of type 1 sensitization during a 4-year period among schoolchildren in northern Sweden (a dust mite- and cockroach-free environment) and to examine the risk factors for sensitization, including cat and dog ownership. A total of 1870 schoolchildren, 7 to 8 years of age at the beginning of the study, were derived from a longitudinal cohort of 2454 children living in 2 municipalities in northern Sweden in 1996. Skin prick tests for tree, grass, weed, dust mite, mold, cat, dog, and horse allergens …