Abstract
Sensitization to inhaled and ingested allergens is an important process in determining the subsequent clinical expression of asthma. Allergen exposure has also been reported to be associated with admission to hospital with acute severe asthma. Patients with brittle asthma, characterized by widely variable peak expiratory flow are at increased risk of life-threatening episodes but the role of atopy in these patients is unknown. To determine the atopic status of patients with brittle asthma using a case-control design. We have assessed the atopic status by skin-prick tests to 19 common allergens, and total and specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) in 29 patients with well characterized brittle asthma and an age, sex and treatment-matched control group without brittle asthma. Mean weal diameters were higher in brittle compared to non-brittle asthma for grass pollen (4.64 vs 2.17; P = 0.01), horse hair (6.28 vs 2.64; P = 0.02), feathers (2.96 vs 1.52; P = 0.01), wheat (1.48 vs 0.66; P = 0.001) and chocolate (1.09 vs 0.41; P = 0.05). Mean radioallergosorbent (RAST) scores to house dust mite were also greater in brittle asthma patients (19.3 vs 7.65; P = 0.05). Patients with brittle asthma also exhibited a significantly greater degree of a...Continue Reading
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