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Aeroallergen sensitization in healthy children: racial and socioeconomic correlates

Michelle D Stevenson1, Stacey Sellins, Emilie Grube

  • 1Division of Emergency Medicine, Akron Children's Hospital and Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Akron, Ohio 44308, USA. mstevenson@chmca.org

The Journal of Pediatrics
|July 24, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Allergic sensitization is common in children, even without a family history of allergies. African-American children face a higher risk of sensitization, particularly to outdoor allergens.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
  • Environmental Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Allergic sensitization is a widespread issue, often preceding allergic diseases.
  • Understanding risk factors like race is crucial for early intervention.
  • Healthy children without a family history of atopy are often overlooked in sensitization studies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between race and allergic sensitization in children.
  • To determine if race influences sensitization to specific allergen types (e.g., outdoor).
  • To assess the impact of sensitization on quality of life in this pediatric cohort.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 275 children (ages 2-18) from Cincinnati, Ohio, with no personal or family history of allergies, was studied.
  • Skin prick testing was performed using 11 allergen panels.
  • The Pediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PADQLQ) assessed quality of life.

Main Results:

  • 39% of healthy children exhibited sensitization to at least one allergen.
  • African-American children showed a significantly higher risk for any sensitization (OR, 2.17) and outdoor allergen sensitization (OR, 2.96).
  • Most children (86%) reported minimal impact on quality of life (PADQLQ scores ≤1).

Conclusions:

  • Allergic sensitization is prevalent in children without a history of allergic disease or family predisposition.
  • Race is a significant factor, with African-American children at increased risk for sensitization.
  • Current sensitization, even to outdoor allergens, had minimal impact on the quality of life in this cohort.
Abstract

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