title: Hypersensitivity to house dust mite and cockroach is the most common allergy in north of iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Asthma and allergic rhinitis are among the most common diseases in the world.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to detect, by skin prick test, aeroallergens in allergic patients in Sari, Mazandaran in north of Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a prospective study of skin prick test of aeroallergens in asthma, allergic rhinitis and their combination with clinical diagnosis. Three hundred and seventy five cases aged between 5 to 50 years, were referred to Tooba and Boo-Ali allergic centers of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences between December 2006 and July 2009. The aeroallergens studied included house dust mites (Dermatophagoides farinae, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus), cockroaches, feather, aspergillus, Alternaria, pigweed, nettle, oak and maple.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the studied individuals, 175 cases were males (46.7%) and 200 were females (53.3%), of which 156 (n=41.5%) reacted to allergen extracts. In asthma, allergic rhinitis and their combination, the respective positive percentages were 26.6%, 22.9%, and 32.6% for Dermatophagoides farinae; 26.6%, 25.3%, and 23.3% for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus; 12.7%, 17.4%, and 11.6% for cockroaches and 16.5%, 4.7%, and 7.0% for the feather. Other allergens were positive up to 5 percent. Total IgE levels were elevated in 56.4%, 53% and 60.5% of asthmatic, allergic rhinitis and the combination group, respectively. Eosinophils count was elevated in 40.5%, 33.2% and 37.2% of the same groups, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The hypersensitivity to house dust mites is very common in north of Iran which may be attributed to the warm and humid weather of this area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediaterics, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. javadneg@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Javad
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ghaffari
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khademloo
authors.forename: Mohammad Jafar
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Saffar
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rafiei
authors.forename: Farzad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Masiha
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000276:immunology*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology*; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000276:immunology; D012882:Skin Tests; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007073:Immunoglobulin E