title: Allergic diseases and climate changes: our experience and an update.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent research has shown that there are many effects of climate change on aeroallergens and thus allergic diseases in humans. It is not easy to evaluate the impact of climate change and air pollution on the prevalence of allergic diseases. The present study is devoted to decipher the possible relationships between climatic changes and allergic diseases, and in particular with atopic dermatitis (AD).
  
  
  METHODS
  To evaluate the aeroallergens effects on AD, we submitted to an allergological study protocol 59 children patients with AD to study the interaction between aeroallergens-atopy patch test (APT) and skin prick test (SPT). The same tests were performed on to the same patients after 24 months to assess the time trend.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found a high prevalence of house dust mites and grasses pollen APT positivity in AD's and in respiratory patients and we also found an increase in positive results in the same patients after 24 months. However, we observed a variation in the control group, in which in earlier tests all patients had negative results but after 24 months we found some positivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found a correlation between APT and SPT in AD and we observed a concordance between APT results and the atopy score index, underlying the triggering role of these aereoallergens in the atopic patient's skin reactivity.
authors: Department of Dermatology, University Sapienza, Rome, Italy. teresa.grieco@uniroma1.it
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Grieco
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Faina
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Milana
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Dies
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Bianchini
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Calvieri
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D057231:Climate Change; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000276:immunology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010328:Patch Tests / Q000379:methods; D006109:Poaceae; D011058:Pollen / Q000009:adverse effects; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007073:Immunoglobulin E