Evaluation of atopy among mouth-breathing pediatric patients referred for treatment to a tertiary care center.
OBJECTIVE
A mouth breather is someone who uses his/her oral cavity as the main airway during breathing. This is a syndrome with several etiologies, but allergic rhinitis plays a key role due to its high prevalence. The aim of this study was to assess the presence of atopy among mouth-breathing patients referred to a tertiary care center in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte, Brazil.


METHODS
Cross-sectional, descriptive study carried out at Hospital das Clínicas of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Patients aged 2 to 12 years, admitted between November 2002 and April 2004, were included. Parents or surrogates completed a comprehensive questionnaire, and patients were submitted to a skin test for inhalant allergens. A total of 140 patients participated in the study. Those with a positive result for at least one allergen were regarded as atopic. The statistical analyses were made using SPSS, with univariate analyses followed by logistic regression.


RESULTS
Of 140 patients, 44.3% (62/140) obtained positive results on the allergic test. Mites were the most predominant allergens, with a positive rate of 100% among atopic patients. In the multivariate analysis, atopy was significantly associated with the male sex (p = 0.05), presence of asthma (p = 0.014), lower number of people sleeping in the same room with the patient (p = 0.005), absence of passive smoking (p = 0.005) and absence of sleep apnea (p = 0.003).


CONCLUSIONS
The high prevalence of positive results on the allergic test highlights the importance of allergologic investigation in mouth-breathers, since allergy has specific treatments that may reduce morbidity in these patients when properly used.
Barros
Juliana R C
JR
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Becker
Helena M G
HM
Pinto
Jorge A
JA
D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008925:Mites / Q000276:immunology; D009058:Mouth Breathing / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D015995:Prevalence; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology; D012882:Skin Tests
D000485:Allergens