[An analysis of skin prick test reactivity to dust mite in overweight and normal weight children with allergic asthma before and after specific immunotherapy].
OBJECTIVE
To study the skin prick test (SPT) reactivity to house dust mite allergens in overweight and normal weight children with allergic asthma before and after standard subcutaneous specific immunotherapy.


METHODS
Two hundred and fifteen children with allergic asthma who had positive SPT responses to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP) and Dermatophagoides farinae (DF) were enrolled. According to the weight index, they were classified into overweight (n=63) and normal weight groups (n=152). Skin indices (SI) to DP and DF were compared between the two groups at 6 months and 1 year after standard subcutaneous specific immunotherapy.


RESULTS
The overweight group had a significantly larger histamine wheal diameter than the normal weight group after controlling the variation in testing time (P<0.05). After controlling the variation in weights, there were significant differences in the SIs to DP and DF before specific immunotherapy and at 6 months and 1 year after specific immunotherapy. At 6 months and 1 year after specific immunotherapy, the SIs to DP and DF were significantly reduced in both groups (P<0.05), and the overweight group had greater decreases in the SIs to DP and DF than the normal weight group.


CONCLUSIONS
The overweight children with allergic asthma have stronger responses to histamine than the normal weight patients. Specific immunotherapy can reduce the reactivity to dust mite allergens in children with allergic asthma. Within one year after specific immunotherapy, the overweight children with allergic asthma have a significantly greater decrease in the reactivity to dust mite allergens than the normal weight patients.
Department of Respiration, Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University/Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders/China International Science and Technology Cooperation Base of Child Development and Critical Disorders/Chongqing Key Laboratory of Pediatrics, Chongqing 400014, China. huangying62@126.com.
Jian
J
Wang
Ying
Y
Huang
Xue-Li
XL
Zhang
Xia
X
Huang
Xiao-Wen
XW
Xu
Fan-Mei
FM
Liang
D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D040001:Dermatophagoides farinae / Q000276:immunology; D040002:Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000276:immunology*; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology*; D012882:Skin Tests