Specific Allergen Tests in Asthmatic Patients: A Comparison between Adults and Children

兒童及成人氣喘患者之特定過敏原測試比較

許嘉林(Chia-Lin Hsu) ； 江伯倫(Bor-Luen Chiang) ； 郭壽雄(Sow-Hsong Kuo)

《胸腔醫學》 19卷2期 (2004/04) Pp. 82-91

https://doi.org/10.29806/TM.200404.0001

摘要

Background: The prevalence of asthma is increasing gradually in Western countries as well as in the Far East. Environmental factors have been proposed as one of the reasons for the wide variations in asthma epidemiology. In this study, we investigated the differences in specific allergen tests between asthmatic children and adults, and the relationship between specific allergen tests and total serum immunoglobulin E (lgE) and peripheral blood eosinophilia.
Methods: A total of 68 adults and 55 children who were diagnosed with asthma at our outpatient department were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent a specific allergen test measured by multiple allergosorbent chemiluminescent assay (MAST-CLA). Based on the results of the MAST-CLA test, patients were divided into two groups. The MAST(+)group was defined as patients having at least one positive allergen in their MAST-CLA test. Eosinophil counts greater than 300/μL were defined as eosinophilia. An elevated total lgE level was defined as a total lgE level of more than 200kU/L in adults, and was adjusted for age in children.
Results: Forty-nine (72.1%) adults and 36(65.5%) children were MAST(+). In the MAST(+)group, a higher allergen number was noted in asthmatic children than in adults (4.8±3.5 vs. 3.5±2.0, p=0.04). The children had a higher incidence of food allergens than adults (n=18, 32.7% vs. n=11, 16.2%, p=0.03), especially to milk (n=15, 27.3% vs. n1, 1.5%, p＜0.001). In the adult patients, the allergen number was correlated to total lgE level (r=0.85, p＜0.001), but not to eosinophil count. In the children, the allergen number was correlated well to the total lgE level (r=0.82, p＜0.001) and eosinophil count (r=0.60, p0.00l).
Conclusion: The positive tendency in the MAST-CLA test was similar in both adults and children, but the positive tendency to food allergens was significantly higher in children. In the MAST (+) group, children had more allergens than adults. The allergen number was correlated to the peripheral blood eosinophil count and the level of total serum lgE in the asthmatic children.

關鍵字

氣喘 ； 特殊過敏原測試 ； 免疫球蛋白E ； 嗜伊紅白血球

並列摘要

Background: The prevalence of asthma is increasing gradually in Western countries as well as in the Far East. Environmental factors have been proposed as one of the reasons for the wide variations in asthma epidemiology. In this study, we investigated the differences in specific allergen tests between asthmatic children and adults, and the relationship between specific allergen tests and total serum immunoglobulin E (lgE) and peripheral blood eosinophilia.
Methods: A total of 68 adults and 55 children who were diagnosed with asthma at our outpatient department were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent a specific allergen test measured by multiple allergosorbent chemiluminescent assay (MAST-CLA). Based on the results of the MAST-CLA test, patients were divided into two groups. The MAST(+)group was defined as patients having at least one positive allergen in their MAST-CLA test. Eosinophil counts greater than 300/μL were defined as eosinophilia. An elevated total lgE level was defined as a total lgE level of more than 200kU/L in adults, and was adjusted for age in children.
Results: Forty-nine (72.1%) adults and 36(65.5%) children were MAST(+). In the MAST(+)group, a higher allergen number was noted in asthmatic children than in adults (4.8±3.5 vs. 3.5±2.0, p=0.04). The children had a higher incidence of food allergens than adults (n=18, 32.7% vs. n=11, 16.2%, p=0.03), especially to milk (n=15, 27.3% vs. n1, 1.5%, p＜0.001). In the adult patients, the allergen number was correlated to total lgE level (r=0.85, p＜0.001), but not to eosinophil count. In the children, the allergen number was correlated well to the total lgE level (r=0.82, p＜0.001) and eosinophil count (r=0.60, p0.00l).
Conclusion: The positive tendency in the MAST-CLA test was similar in both adults and children, but the positive tendency to food allergens was significantly higher in children. In the MAST (+) group, children had more allergens than adults. The allergen number was correlated to the peripheral blood eosinophil count and the level of total serum lgE in the asthmatic children.

並列關鍵字

Asthma ； specific allergen test ； immunoglobulin E ； eosinophil