Comparison of skin tests to aeroallergens in Ankara and Seoul.
BACKGROUND
The environment contains many allergenic proteins, and skin test reactivity to aeroallergens may be different among people living in different regions.


OBJECTIVE
To compare skin test results of Turkish and Korean patients with respiratory allergies.


METHODS
The charts of 304 (160 male, 144 female) patients from Ankara, Turkey, and 208 (111 male, 97 female) patients' charts from Seoul, Korea, who had undergone skin prick tests were reviewed. Skin tests were classified as positive when the allergen-induced wheal size was the same size or larger than that caused by histamine.


RESULTS
Grass pollens were found to be major allergens more often in Ankara than in Seoul (74.34% vs. 15.87%, p < 0.001). Skin test reactivities in Ankara were significantly lower (p < 0.001) than in Seoul to weed (6.91% vs. 37.50%) and tree pollens (4.61% vs. 39.42%). Allergic reactions to indoor allergens were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in Seoul than in Ankara: house dust mites (HDM) (83.17% vs. 32.90%), cockroaches (45.67% vs. 1.97%), and cats (17.79% vs. 1.65%).


CONCLUSIONS
Due to the different aeroallergen environment, the positive skin test results were different in both cities: grass pollens were the most common allergens in Ankara, while patients from Seoul reacted more commonly to indoor allergens, especially to HDMs and cockroaches.
Sener
O
O
Division of Allergy, Gulhane Military Medical Academy, Ankara, Turkey. osener@gata.edu.tr
Kim
Y K
YK
Ceylan
S
S
Ozanguc
N
N
Yoo
T J
TJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000485:Allergens / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007428:Intradermal Tests / Q000379:methods*; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014421:Turkey; D014505:Urban Population
D000485:Allergens