Analysis of allergens in 5 473 patients with allergic diseases in Harbin, China

CHANG Man Li^1,2, SHAO Bing¹, LIU Yan Hong², LI Lu Lu², PEI Li Chun³, and WANG Bin You¹

1. Department of Molecular Epidemiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150081, Heilongjiang, China; 2. Department of Laboratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang, China; 3. Department of Geriatrics, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150086, Heilongjiang, China

^#Correspondence should be addressed to WANG Bin You. E-mail: wang_binyou@126.com

Biographic note of the first author: CHANG Man Li, female, born in 1972, associate professor, doctoral student of molecular epidemiology, majoring in clinical epidemiology and laboratory medicine.

Abstract Objective  To analyze the allergic status to common inhalant allergens and food allergens in clinical patients in Harbin in northeastern China and provide evidence to develop the prevention strategy of allergic disease. Methods  The data were collected from 5 473 patients with clinical suspected allergic diseases seeking medical care in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. Among these patients, 2 530 (46.2%) were males aged 0-86 years, the youngest was only 1 month old and 2 579 (47.1%) were young children and teenagers. The serum specific Immunoglobulin E (sIgE) to 14 kinds of common allergens and serum total IgE were detected by using AllergyScreen test (Mediwiss Analytic GmbH, Moers, Germany). Results  In 5 473 subjects the positive rate of sIgE was 33.1% (n=1 813). Cow milk (6.9%) and wheat (3.1%) were the most common food allergens, followed by house dust mite mix (12.5%) and mould mix (9.4%) and the age and gender specific differences in the positive rate were significant. For the children aged -7 years the positive rates to cow milk, beef-mutton, and egg white/egg yolk were high, but the positive rates to house dust mite mix, ragweed estragon, and mould mix were low (P - 0.05). For the adults the positive rates to aeroallergens were high while the rates to food allergens were low. Conclusion  The results from this study showed that the food allergens in Harbin had geographic characteristics, which support the viewpoint that the environment factors play an important role in the incidence of allergic diseases. Also, the detection of sIgE and total IgE are essential to identify relevant allergens for the purpose of early diagnosis, management and prevention of allergic disease. Key words: Aeroallergens; Food allergens; Specific IgE; Harbin; China Biomed Environ Sci, 2013; 26(11): 886-893   doi: 10.3967/bes2013.017             ISSN: 0895-3988 www.besjournal.com (full text)