Nasal allergy in medical students.
The incidence of nasal allergy in medical students was studied in our University from 1983 to 1987. Intradermal skin tests were performed using six allergens: house dust (HD), ragweed, Japanese cedar, orchard grass, candida and broncasma berna. 154 out of 471 students (32.7%) had symptoms indicative of nasal allergy. HD and Japanese cedar were the main allergens and their positive rates were 66.4% and 51.0%, respectively in symptomatic cases. However, 34.4% of asymptomatic students also showed positive reactions to HD and 19.6% to Japanese cedar. In nasal provocation tests, 53.8% of symptomatic students who reacted positively to HD skin test showed positive reactions, while even 34.8% of asymptomatic students also showed positive reactions. The same results were obtained for Japanese cedar. It seemed that some asymptomatic students who had positive reactions to skin tests have latent allergies. A long-term follow-up would be necessary for these cases.
Ogino
S
S
Dept. of O.R.L., Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Irifune
M
M
Harada
T
T
Matsunaga
T
T
Ishida
M
M
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009299:Nasal Provocation Tests; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012882:Skin Tests; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires