Prevalence of allergic rhinitis and risk factors in school children

Objective: To evaluate the prevalence and the risk factors of allergic rhinitis in a particular area. Methods: The main study group consisted of all school children in Kemalpasa district aged 13-14 years. Children with current rhinitis based on responses given in ISAAC questionnaire survey were further evaluated for confirmation. Parents responded to a more detailed questionnaire about allergic diseases and risk factors. Then peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) was evaluated to objectively assess nasal patency. Skin-prick test was performed for ten common allergens. Results: The questionnaire was answered by 90.8% (1373) of children. The prevalence of physician-diagnosed AR was 11.1%. Current rhinitis was found to be 31.3%. Of this group, 55.0% were admitted for the parent questionnaire and tests. Precisely, 90.3% of children accepted PNIF evaluation, and %10.1 of them had a nasal obstruction. Skin-prick tests revealed allergy for at least 1 allergen in 16.6% of children. The present study showed that the children with maternal allergic rhinitis history had 2,18 fold, and the children with seasonal allergic rhinitis had 2,11 fold higher possibility of sensitization to an allergen. The probability of perennial allergic rhinitis was 3,1 fold higher in the children who had siblings with allergic rhinitis. Conclusion: We included all children in a specific age group living in an area in our survey. As well as we found the prevalence of current rhinitis with the ISAAC questionnaire; we also evaluated peak nasal inspiratory flow and used skin-prick tests that yielded objective results

Çocuklarda inek sütü alerjisi; 9 yıllık deneyim Dr Behçet Uz Çocuk Hastanesi, İzmir

Amaç: İnek sütü alerjisi çocukluk çağında en sık görülen gıda alerjisidir. Tanıda gecikme olduğunda sistemik reaksiyonlar ortaya çıkarken, yanlış tanı konulduğunda annenin ve çocuğun yetersiz beslenmesine neden olmaktadır. Diğer alerjik hastalıklar gibi besin aler- jileri de son yıllarda giderek büyüyen bir sorundur. Amacımız, inek sütü alerjisi vakala- rının özelliklerini saptamak ve sıklığının artıp artmadığını belirlemektir. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışmamız retrospektif ve kesitsel olarak planlandı. Hasta verileri Pediatrik Allerji Bölümü hasta dosyalarından toplandı. Gıda alerjisi tanısı konulan has- talar arasından inek sütü alerjisi saptanan hastalar çalışmaya alındı. Bulgular: 2003-2011 yılları arasında gıda alerjisi tanısı ile takip edilen 264 olgu arasından inek sütü alerjisi tanısı alan 105 olgu çalışmaya alındı. Hastaların çoğu 2 yaşından küçük (%78,1), erkek cinsiyette (%62,9) idi ve anamnezinde süt alımını takiben kesin öykü vardı (%79,1). Olguların %75,2’sini IgE aracılı inek sütü alerjileri oluşturmaktaydı. Hastaların yarısından fazlası 2010 ve 2011 yıllarında başvuran hastalardı. Bu artışdan daha çok 1 yaş altındaki hastaların fazla olması sorumluydu (p=0.015). En sık tutulan sistem, deri (%67,5) ve multisistem (%15,7) olarak bulundu. Sonuç: Detaylı bir öykü inek sütü alerjisi tanısında önemli bir rol oynar. Yaşamın ilk yılı içinde çok sayıda hasta çeşitli semptom ve bulgularla karşımıza çıkar. Genellikle hayatı tehdit eden bir durum olmamakla birlikte beslenme, çocuğun gelişimi ve büyümesinde rol oynadığı için doğru tanı çok önemlidir.Objective: Cow’s milk allergy is the most frequent food allergy in childhood. Delayed diagnosis may cause a number of systemic dysfunctions, while incorrect diagnosis may result in deficient nutrition of the mother and the child. As in other types of allergies, food allergy is also a growing problem in recent years. Our aim was to determine the characte- ristics of our patients allergic to cow’s milk, and see if there was an increasing trend. Material and Methods: The study was of retrospective and cross-sectional design. Patient data were collected from Pediatric Allergy Department patient files. Cases of food allergy were reviewed and patients fulfilling the criteria of cow’s milk allergy were included in the study. Results: A total of 105 cases with cow’s milk allergy out of 264 food allergies who were followed up between 2003-2011 were investigated. Most of the patients were under 2 years of age (78.1%), were males (62.9%) and presented with a history of allergy (79.1%). IgE mediated cases constituted the majority (75.2%). More than half of the patients admitted in 2010 and 2011. This was mostly due to the increased number of patients less than twel- ve months of age (p=0.015). Most frequently involved system was skin (67.5%) and mul- tisystem involvement was 15.7% Conclusion: A detailed history is the key element of diagnosing cow’s milk allergy. There is a considerable number of cases within the first year of life which may present with dif- ferent signs and symptoms. Although not a life threatening situation, correct diagnosis is vital as nutrition is a key component in the development and growth of child