title: [Risk factors for allergy to honey-bee venom in Mexican beekeepers].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Allergy to Hymenoptera venom has a low prevalence in the general population, but in beekeepers could be as high as 42%. The exposure to bee sting confers an occupational allergic risk to beekeepers, causing them sensitization during the first years, which if continues for a long time may induce immune tolerance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To know some risk factors of allergic reactions to honey-bee stings in a sample of beekeepers through a self-applied questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-applied questionnaire was performed by beekeepers from the whole country, with questions about age, sex, time of beekeeping activities, average number of stings per month and types of post-sting reactions. The relative risk and the odds ratio were calculated for some risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 1541 questionnaires were completed. The average age was 37 years. There were 1289 (84%) men and 252 women. The average time of exposure to honey-bee sting was 7.2 years, and the number of stings per month averaged 33. There was atopic family history in 14.5% of the beekeepers, and 20% of them had personal atopy. In 125 (8%) beekeepers there were local allergic reactions and in 32 (2%) there were systemic allergic reactions. The relative risk for allergy to honey-bee venom in whom had atopic family history was 3.9 (CI 1.7-9.2), in those with less than 4 stings per month was 3.2 (CI 1.12-9.33), in those with more than 20 years exposure was 0.97 (CI 0.95-0.98) and for those over 50 years of age was 0.32 (CI 0.1-0.8). Beekeepers with less than 10 years of exposure had OR of 4.33 (CI 0.5-33.9).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk factors observed for hypersentivity to honey-bee venom in beekeepers were: atopic family history, less than 10 years of exposure and less than 4 stings per month. As probable protective factors we found the exposure for over 20 years and persons older than 50 years of age.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Alergia e Inmunología Clínica, UMAE Hospital de Especialidades Dr Antonio Fraga Mouret, Centro Médico Nacional La Raza, IMSS, México, D.F. mbecer5@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Martín
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Becerril-Ángeles
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Núñez-Velázquez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D007299:Insect Bites and Stings / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001514:Bee Venoms