title: Aeroallergen sensitization in childhood asthmatics in northern India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of sensitization to common aeroallergens in asthmatic children and study the differences in characteristics of atopics and non atopics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of data from a prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pediatric Chest Clinic of tertiary care center in Northern India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Asthmatic children from 5-18 year of age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prevalence of sensitization to common aeroallergens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Skin prick testing (SPT) was performed on 180 children above 5 years of age, with a mean (SD) age of 111.4 (34.2) months. 100 children (55.6%) were sensitized to at least one aeroallergen, suggesting atopy; 68 (37.8%) were sensitized to more than one allergen. 36.7% children were sensitized to housefly antigen; 31.1% to rice grain dust, 18.3% to cockroach, and 7.8% to house dust mite antigens. Atopic children had significantly higher median FENO during follow up than non-atopic children (17.5 ppb vs 13 ppb, P=0.002). There was a positive correlation between age and the number of allergens that an individual was sensitized to (r= 0.21; P=0.0049).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More than half of asthmatic children in our cohort had sensitization to one or more aeroallergens suggesting atopy; sensitization was most commonly seen to housefly antigen and rice grain dust. Atopic children had significantly higher FENO measurements during follow up as compared to non-atopic children.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Ansari Nagar, New Delhi 110029; *Institute of Genomics and integrative Biology, Mall Road, Delhi. Correspondence to Dr Rakesh Lodha, Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India 110029. rakesh_lodha@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Dinesh
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Raj
authors.forename: Rakesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lodha
authors.forename: Anibha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.forename: Aparna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: Anurag
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kabra
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000276:immunology*; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens