title: Variability of offending allergens of allergic rhinitis according to age: optimization of skin prick test allergens.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluates offending allergens in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) according to age that establish a minimal panel for skin prick test (SPT) allergens required to identify if a patient is sensitized.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively analyzed SPT results according to age to determine the minimum test battery panel necessary to screen at least 93%-95% of AR patients. Allergic skin tests (common airborne indoor and outdoor allergens) were performed on 7,182 patients from January 2007 to June 2011. All patients were classified into 9 groups according to age; subsequently, we investigated offending allergens by age group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 5,032 (70.1%) patients were found sensitized to at least one of the 55 aeroallergen extracts tested. The annual ranking of offending allergens was not significantly different from each other over the past 5 years. House dust mites (HDM) were the most prevalent allergens ranked from first to third for all 5 years. The allergens in the minimum test panel differed slightly among all age groups; in addition, the types of sensitized allergen sources were more diverse in the older versus younger age group. HDM covered a larger proportion of the sensitized allergens in the younger age group versus the older age group. Testing with 5 allergens (Dermatophagoides farinae, Tetranychus urticae, oak, mugwort and cockroach) adequately identified over 90% of the sensitized patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A SPT with around 5-7 allergens adequately detected most of the sensitization in the majority of the age groups in Korea. However, this study suggests that physicians perform the SPT with appropriately selected allergens in each age category for the screening of AR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Chosun University College of Medicine, Gwangju, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Chul
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Doo Hee
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Young
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Whun
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ; Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Heon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ; Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Heung-Woo
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. ; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea. ; Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea. ; Sensory Organ Research Center, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Korea. ; Graduate School of Immunology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Chae-Seo
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Rhee
keywords: Allergic rhinitis; aeroallergen; sensitization; skin prick test