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Chronic sinusitis and atopy: a cross-sectional study
G Leo1, E Piacentini, C Incorvaia
1Pediatric Allergy and Respiratory Physiopathology Unit, Istituti Clinici di Perfezionamento, Milan, Italy.
Insights
In children with chronic sinusitis, allergic sensitization to common inhalant allergens is prevalent but not significantly correlated with the condition after age adjustment. Routine allergy testing is not recommended for these cases.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Otolaryngology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- The link between allergic sensitization and chronic sinusitis in children remains unclear, with conflicting research findings.
- Previous studies have yielded inconsistent results regarding the role of allergies in pediatric chronic sinusitis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of sensitization to common inhalant allergens in children diagnosed with chronic sinusitis.
- To evaluate the relationship between aeroallergen sensitization and chronic sinusitis across different age groups in pediatric patients.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 351 children with chronic sinusitis symptoms.
- Allergen sensitization was assessed using skin prick tests (SPT) and total IgE levels.
- Participants were stratified into three age groups: <3 years, 3-6 years, and >6 years.
Main Results:
- Overall sensitization to at least one inhalant allergen was 29.9%.
- SPT sensitization prevalence varied significantly by age group (7.4% in Group 1, 31.4% in Group 2, 33.3% in Group 3; p=0.028).
- After adjusting for age, no significant correlation was found between sinusitis and aeroallergen sensitization.
Conclusions:
- The prevalence of aeroallergen sensitization in children with chronic sinusitis is similar to the general pediatric population.
- Routine allergy investigation is not warranted for children diagnosed with chronic sinusitis based on these findings.
Background:
The role of allergic sensitization in chronic sinusitis in childhood is currently unclear, as contrasting results were reported in the studies thus far available.
Objective:
We evaluated by a cross-sectional study the prevalence of sensitization to common inhalant allergens in children with chronic sinusitis.
Methods:
Among 2200 children referring to our Paediatric out-patient Unit for evaluation of chronic respiratory symptoms, subjects satisfying at least two of major criteria for the definition of chronic sinusitis were recruited, and underwent to allergen sensitization workup by skin prick test (SPT) with common inhalant allergens and total IgE determination. Participants were stratified according to age inferior to three years (Group 1), age between three and six years (Group 2), and age above six years (Group 3) for the purpose of evaluation.
Results:
In all, 351 children (217 boys, 134 girls, mean age 5.23 ? 2.11 years, range 4-15 years) were available for evaluation and were stratified (27 in Group 1, 261 in Group 2 and 63 in Group 3). Prevalence of both sensitization to at least one inhalant allergen by SPT and of high total IgE was 29.9%. Prevalence of SPT sensitization was significantly different across age groups, with a value of 7.4% in Group 1, 31.4% in Group 2 and 33.3% in Group 3 (p = 0.028), but after adjusting for age, sinusitis and aeroallergen sensitization did not correlate significantly. The difference across groups for high total IgE did not reach statistical significance, with 22.7%, 30.1% and 32.1% for each group respectively.
Conclusions:
The prevalence of sensitization to aeroallergens in children with chronic sinusitis is comparable to that of the general paediatric population, as assessed in the Italian arm of the ISAAC study. This does not account for routine investigation for allergy in children diagnosed with such disease.
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