title: Incidence of atopic stigmata and prick test results in patients with asthma, allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis.
abstract: Allergic diseases are part of the 'modern lifestyle' and their incidence is still increasing. Cutaneous markers (stigmata) usually provide valuable clues for the diagnosis of atopic diseases. This study evaluated the prevalence of the four major and twenty-one minor criteria of Hanifin and Rajka in a total of 246 patients with mucosal allergies (99 asthma, 108 allergic rhinitis, and 39 allergic conjunctivitis). The two most prevalent major criteria were history of atopic diseases and pruritus. The most prevalent three minor criteria were periorbital darkening, influence of environmental factors and xerosis. The most common prick test-positive allergens were grass and mite allergens. Despite evidence for a high co-morbidity between atopic diseases, in daily clinical practise diagnostic and therapeutic procedures generally focus on the most predominant disease. We concluded that it may be important to screen subjects with mucosal allergies for the presence of major and minor cutaneous stigmata. Screening for cutaneous manifestations and subsequent treatment might further enhance the quality of life of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Inonu University School of Medicine, Department of Dermatology, Malatya, Turkey. mstfsenol@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Senol
authors.forename: Atilla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozcan
authors.forename: Basak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kandi
authors.forename: Semsettin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karaca
authors.forename: Tuba
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aki
authors.forename: Nalan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bayram
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology; D006109:Poaceae / Q000276:immunology; D015995:Prevalence; D011537:Pruritus / Q000276:immunology; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000276:immunology*; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens