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Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this study was to identify differences in the clinical manifestations and allergic indices between monosensitized and polysensitized children.
Methods
We reviewed retrospective data from the medical records of patients who had chronic or recurrent respiratory symptoms and visited the pediatric clinic at Chung-Ang University Hospital for an evaluation of allergic diseases from January 2003 to January 2011. The patients were categorized into nonsensitized (n=111), monosensitized (n=149), and polysensitized (n=205) groups according to skin prick tests (as classified by five allergen groups). We compared gender, age, family history, admission history, food sensitization, total immunoglobulin E (IgE), peripheral eosinophil counts, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) levels, forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and methacholine provocation tests among the three groups.
Results
The frequency of food sensitivity was highest in the polysensitized group (n=101, 49.3%), followed by the monosensitized (n=8, 5.4%) and nonsensitized groups (n=0) (P<0.001). The FEV1 was significantly lower in the polysensitized group than that in the monosensitized and nonsensitized groups (79.4 20.2% vs. 87.2 16.0% vs. 87.6 17.1%, respectively) (± ± ± P=0.013). The total IgE and ECP levels were significantly higher in the polysensitized patients than those in the other patients (P<0.001 and <0.001, respectively). Differences in gender, age, peripheral eosinophil count, and bronchial hyper-responsiveness were not identified between the monosensitized and polysensitized groups.
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Fig. 1.
The comparison of (A) eosinophil count, (B) eosinophil fraction, (C) log (total immunoglobulin E) and (D) eosinophilc cationic protein (ECP) levels in the three groups. ∗P<0.05.
Fig. 2.
Comparison of forced expiratory volume in 1 second in nonsensitized, monosensitized, and polysensitized groups. ∗P <0.05.
Table 1.
Clinical Characteristics and History of the Study Population
| Nonsensitized children (n=111) | Monosensitized children (n=149) | Polysensitized children (n=205) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (M/F) | 62/49 | 96/53 | 131/74 | 0.306 |
| Age (yr)∗ | 7.9 3.5 ± | 8.5 3.1 ± | 8.5 3.5 ± | 0.225 |
| Allergic familial history | 23 (20.7%) | 39 (26.2%) | 89 (26.8%) | 0.462 |
| No. of hospitalization∗ | 1.2 2.3 ± | 0.8 1.3 ± | 1.1 2.0 ± | 0.242 |
| Food sensitization | 0 | 8 (5.4%) | 101 (49.3%) | <0.001 |
| BHR | 26 (65.0%) | 46 (80.7%) | 39 (73.6) | 0.221 |
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