The house-dust mite and childhood asthma in the Cape Peninsula.
Sensitivity to house-dust and the mites Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae was the commonest cause of asthma in children living in the Cape Peninsula. Of 103 asthmatic children examined, 65,5% had positive skin tests to these allergens. Only a small number of the children were sensitive to pollens, feathers, moulds or food. The median serum IgE level was 496 U/ml, with a range of 18-15972 U/ml, and the median blood eosinophil count was 691/microliter (range 93-8 159) in 102 of the children.
D000293:Adolescent; D000485:Allergens; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004391:Dust; D004804:Eosinophils; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology*; D013019:South Africa
D000485:Allergens; D004391:Dust; D007073:Immunoglobulin E