A recent study highlighted the role of allergen sensitization testing in asthma patients. Published in Asthma and Allergy Proceedings, the findings challenge current assumptions about the relationship between allergen sensitization and the timing of asthma onset.
The study reviewed the charts of 500 randomly selected adult and pediatric patients with asthma from the National Jewish Health electronic health record. Researchers assessed data based on immunoglobulin E levels, childhood versus adult asthma onset, and asthma severity, collecting allergen reactivity data for 10 perennial and seasonal allergens.
Results showed that 75% of patients with asthma tested positive for at least one allergen, with 68% reacting to perennial and 60% to seasonal allergens. Notably, 52% tested positive for both types. Men exhibited higher reactivity to perennial allergens compared to women, but there was no significant difference in seasonal sensitization.
Skin test reactivity did not differ based on the diagnosis of rhinitis, indicating rhinitis is not the sole predictor of an underlying allergic condition. Early-onset asthma patients were generally more allergic than late-onset patients. However, nearly two-thirds of the late-onset group showed skin test reactivity, suggesting allergic disease should not be discounted in late-onset asthma.
"This report presents one of the most comprehensive evaluations of skin test reactivity among [patients with asthma] in relation to various factors," said Rohit Katial, MD, allergist and immunologist at National Jewish Health and senior author of the paper. "These findings underscore that a significant majority of asthma patients also manifest allergic rhinitis."
Conflict of interest disclosures were not available at the time of publishing.