[Association between serum allergens and asthma in children].
OBJECTIVE
To study the association between serum-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) allergens and asthma in children.


METHODS
The serum sIgE allergens were determined using Western blot in 2239 children aged 1-14 years, consisting of 1415 children with asthma alone and 824 children with non-allergic diseases between December 2004 and April 2013. The case-control models of asthma alone and non-allergic diseases were established. The association between allergens and asthma was investigated using multivariate logistic regression analysis.


RESULTS
In the 2239 children, 1028 children (45.91%) were serum sIgE-positive, and the allergen with the highest positive rate was house-dust mite (15.68%), followed by house dust (14.29%) and moulds (13.40%). The results of the case-control analysis showed that house-dust mite, moulds, house dust, and cashew nut/peanut/soybean were significantly associated with the development of asthma. House dust was associated with the development of asthma in the 1-2 years old group (P<0.05). House dust and house-dust mite as allergens were identified as the risk factors for the development of asthma in the 3-14 years old group (P<0.05). In the 6-14 years old group, moulds as allergens were identified as the risk factors for the development of asthma (P<0.05). House dust and house-dust mite as allergens increased the risk of asthma in boys and girls, while moulds and cashew nuts/peanuts/soybeans as allergens increased the risk of asthma in boys.


CONCLUSIONS
House-dust mite, house dust, and moulds are the most common allergens in children with asthma, and they are closely associated with the development of asthma.
Department of Pediatrics, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300211, China. chshliu@eyou.com.
Guo-Chao
GC
Song
Xue-Yan
XY
Wang
Zheng
Z
Wang
Xiao-Ling
XL
Ruan
Jing
J
Yang
Zhu
Z
Zhu
Xia
X
Li
Chang-Shan
CS
Liu
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000485:Allergens / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004391:Dust; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D039981:Pyroglyphidae
D000485:Allergens; D004391:Dust