[Sensitization to 10 important air-borne allergens in school children]

Sensitization patterns and frequencies for 10 important aeroallergens were tested in a cross-sectional study with 704 schoolchildren (7-16 years) using a standardized skin prick-test method and highly purified immunochemically characterized test-solutions. A ratio of allergen and histamine wheal diameter of 0.5 or more was classified as a positive skin test result. We found a positive skin prick-test to at least one of the aeroallergens in 242 (34.4%) of the children. Among these 39.6% showed monosensitization and 9.8% polysensitization to at least 6 allergens. The most common allergens were grasspollen (19.2%), birchpollen (14.8%), house-dust mite (13.4%), catdander (10.5%) and hazelpollen (9.7%). Monosensitized children reacted mainly to grasspollen and house-dust mite, whereas positive reactions to animal dander and moulds only occurred in polysensitized children more frequently. Reactivity of the tested allergens, measured by the wheal size, was strongest for grasspollen and house-dust mite and the weakest for cladosporium and alternaria. The high prevalence of sensitization to inhalant allergens is an important risk-factor for allergic disease in childhood.