Pollen allergen skin test and specific IgE reactivity among Filipinos: a community-based study
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Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology Open Access
RESEARCH
Pollen allergen skin test and specific IgE reactivity among Filipinos: a community‑based study Maureen Sabit1,2,3* , Cecil Wong4, Agnes Andaya4 and John Donnie Ramos1,2,3
Abstract Background: Despite the clinical importance of pollen allergens among Filipinos, few studies delve into the sensitization profiles of Filipinos against pollen allergens. This study determined the sensitization profile of Filipinos to pollen using skin prick test (SPT) and pollen-specific ELISA. Methods: Pollen from fifteen selected plant sources was collected and extracted for use in sensitization tests. Volunteers were interviewed for their clinical history prior to blood sampling and SPT. The blood samples collected were assessed using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Results: The best panel of pollen allergens for the skin prick test was Mangifera indica (64%), Acacia auriculiformis (28%), Mimosa spp. (25%) Amaranthus spinosus (22%), Lantana camara (20%), Pilea microphylla (16%) and Dichanthium aristatum (15%). Young adults had more sensitizations to pollen than among early childhood and elderly. There were more allergic subjects that have rhinitis (61%) than asthma (42%) and atopic dermatitis (35%). Pollen-specific IgE levels show low percent reactivity as compared to the skin test with Cocos nucifera obtaining the highest IgE reactivity (21%). Conclusions: Pollen allergens from both arboreal and herbaceous plants used in this study yielded positive reactivities for both skin tests and specific IgE tests. Keywords: Pollen allergen, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Skin prick tests, Sensitization Background Allergy is a hypersensitive reaction characterized by an immune-mediated inflammatory response to common environmental protein allergens that are deemed to be harmless in non-allergic individuals [1]. The global increase in the prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases and their effect on the quality of life of allergic patients is a health issue that needs immediate attention [2, 3]. In the Philippines, the reported overall prevalence of allergic rhinitis and allergic rhinoconjunctivitis is 20% and 14%, *Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] 2 Research Center for the Natural and Applied Sciences, Thomas Aquinas Research Complex, University of Santo Tomas, 1008 Manila, Philippines Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
respectively [4]; whereas, work absence due to asthma is reported at 46.6% [5]. Pollen is one of the most common and important sensitizing aeroallergens [6–9] that cause respiratory allergies such as allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, and atopic dermatitis. Dissemination or dispersal of pollen, which occurs during a plant’s pollination or flowering period, ensures survival and continuity of its lineage. Small, lightweight pollen, which is produced in copious amounts by anemophilous (wind-pollinated) plants, are the major allergens in the atmosphere. Several studies have shown that the inc
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