title: Allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma and other allergies in patients with Alzheimer's disease: unnoticed issue.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Allergic diseases are becoming more prevalent in elderly patients. Allergic diseases have been observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The prevalence of atopic bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis was analyzed in such elderly Polish population.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Analysis of the presence of allergic diseases in the patients with AD in Poland, including asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The recruitment of subjects with AD was conducted at 6 sites representative of Polish rural and urban areas, and 1060 subjects with a mean age of 69.2 ±5.1 years were screened. Medical examinations, an original questionnaire, skin prick testing for common aeroallergens and appropriate serum-specific IgE assays were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Probable atopy was diagnosed in 234 (22.1%) analyzed patients, including 127 women (21.5% of women) and 234 men (22.8% of men). The average prevalence associated with age and sex in this population for bronchial asthma was 2.9%, atopic dermatitis/eczema was 0.6%, seasonal allergic rhinitis was 6.6%, perennial allergic rhinitis was 11.1% and polymorphous atopic disease was 4.4%. The most frequent positive results were recorded for the following allergens: mixed grass,Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus,Dermatophagoides farinaeandAlternaria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One-fifth of diagnosed patients with AD have allergic disease requiring treatment.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Department of Internal Disease, Dermatology and Allergology in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bożek
authors.affiliation: Eleonora Reicher National Institute of Geriatrics, Rheumatology and Rehabilitation, Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bednarski
authors.affiliation: Clinical Department of Internal Disease, Dermatology and Allergology in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jarzab
keywords: IgE; allergy; bronchial asthma; dementia