The prevalence of allergy in young children with an acquired cholesteatoma.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether allergic sensitisation occurs more frequently in young children with an acquired cholesteatoma in comparison with young children without ear diseases.


METHODS
In this retrospective case-control study the allergic sensitisation of 43 children (age 0-10 years) who were operated for an acquired cholesteatoma was compared with the allergic sensitisation of children without ear pathology.


METHODS
Otology department of the ORL clinic of the Academic Medical Centre of University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.


METHODS
From all subjects a complete history examination was performed and stored in a database. To assess for the presence of allergic sensitisation in patients who underwent radical ear surgery because of an acquired cholesteatoma, and the control group a multiantgen radioallergosorbent test (RAST) was performed. The GraphPad Prism v 2.0. statistical software was used to perform the analyses.


RESULTS
Eighteen subjects (41.8%) demonstrated sensitivity to allergens and this is statistically significant (P < 0.0047) higher than the control group and expected for the general paediatric population. 80% of the patients with a positive multiantgen radioallergosorbent test were boys. In all positive cases an allergy for the house dust mite was determined.


CONCLUSIONS
Allergy is statistically frequently present in paediatric patients with an acquired cholesteatoma. The house dust mite seems to be the most important allergen when allergy is involved with an acquired cholesteatoma. Cholesteatoma with an positive allergy test occurs much more often in boys than girls. This could mean that young boys with a series of inflammatory middle ear diseases and allergic sensitisation are probably more at risk to develop an acquired cholesteatoma in childhood.
Tange
R A
RA
Academic Medical Center University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. r.a.tange@amc.uva.nl
Grolman
W
W
Woutersen
D P
DP
D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002781:Cholesteatoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000601:surgery; D004391:Dust; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology; D015995:Prevalence; D011852:Radioallergosorbent Test; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution
D000485:Allergens; D004391:Dust