title: [Positive skin test and age]
abstract: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate positive responses to skin tests for immediate hypersensitivity to allergens in children with asthma and rhinitis at different ages. METHOD: We observed positive skin test reactivity in prick tests using fifteen allergens of same origin (total dust and Dermatophagoides sp.; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus; Dermatophagoides farinae; Blomia tropicalis; Penicillium sp; Alternaria alternata; Cladosporium herbarium; Aspergillus fumigatus; Bermuda grass; forage grass; dog and cat epithelia; feathers; Blatella germanica and wool). We placed 713 selected patients into different age groups - Group I: 6 to 11 months; Group II: 1 to 3 years and 11 months; Group III: 4 to 8 years and 11 months; and Group IV: 9 to 15 years. We used the chi-square test for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The total significant differences between these groups were: I to II = 5; II to III = 5; II to IV = 5; III to IV = 6; I to III = 10; and I to IV = 10. CONCLUSION: Skin test reactivity is acquired progressively with age, and can be observed as early as at 12 months. Reactivity is significantly more positive from the age of 4 on.
authors.affiliation: Santa Casa de São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Forte
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Júnior
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Filho
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Henriques
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mastroti
authors.forename: M da S
authors.initials: Mda S
authors.lastname: Guedes