title: Respiratory allergy in immigrants to a highly industrialised area in Italy according to area of origin and time period.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Migrants from developing to Western countries tend to become more sensitised to host than to origin country allergens, although substantial changes in migration patterns have occurred in recent decades.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated adult immigrants with respiratory allergy, first tested for allergic sensitisation between 1985 and 2012 in a highly industrialised area in Italy. A comparison was made of the sensitisation pattern between immigrants and a random sample of native-born subjects affected by a respiratory allergy, and among immigrants according to macro-region of origin and time period.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 1985 and 2012, 480 immigrants with respiratory allergy had a first positive allergy test. Immigrants were sensitised mainly to grass (67.1%), house dust mites (HDM) (38.5%) and birch (27.5%), with a pattern of sensitisation very similar to that observed in Italians (native-born). An increase in the proportion of subjects with asthma and of subjects with polysensitisation was observed from the first (1985-2002) to the middle (2003-2007) and the most recent period (2008-2012). In recent years, the proportion of subjects with polysensitisation in immigrants is higher than in Italians (native-born) (53.3% vs. 40.1%). Among immigrants, the risk of sensitisation to grass was higher in those from Sub-Saharan Africa (odds ratio, OR=2.76) and Latin America (OR=2.49), whereas risk of sensitisation to HDM was higher among immigrants from South Asia (OR=2.71), compared to immigrants from Eastern Europe.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Immigrants develop multiple sensitisations more frequently than native-born people, and are especially sensitised to local allergens; the country of origin seems to play a role.
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, University of Brescia, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: steminetti@libero.it.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minetti
authors.affiliation: Unit of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: elena.raffetti@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Raffetti
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, University of Brescia, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: lodirizz@med.unibs.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lodi-Rizzini
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, University of Brescia, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: susanna.facchetti@gmail.com.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Facchetti
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, University of Brescia, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: steminetti@libero.it.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schlanser
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, University of Brescia, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: us@bluejayway.it.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, University of Brescia, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: massimo.cinquini@spedalicivili.brescia.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cinquini
authors.affiliation: Unit of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: francesco.donato@unibs.it.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Donato
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, University of Brescia, Spedali Civili, Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: allergologia@spedalicivili.brescia.it.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tosoni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara / Q000208:ethnology; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D019049:Developed Countries; D003906:Developing Countries; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005061:Europe, Eastern / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000067896:Industrial Development; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000276:immunology; D014504:Urban Health / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Asthma; Industrialised area; Migrants; Polysensitisation; Respiratory allergy