Allergens Prevalence Among Patients With Respiratory Allergies in Mashhad, Iran

Background: Respiratory allergies are among the most common allergies in the world with an increasing number of people affected in recent decades. Determination of allergens prevalence in each area is considered as the first step in prevention of allergic diseases and developing novel and more effective immunotherapies. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the most common allergens among patients with respiratory allergies in Mashhad, Iran.

Materials and methods: This cross sectional study included 1246 people who were referred to Allergy Clinic of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences with respiratory allergic symptoms from 2012 to 2017 in which a questionnaire containing demographic information was completed and Skin Prick Test was performed for each patient.

Results: Among 1246 patients with respiratory symptoms, there were 1084 patients with allergic rhinitis (87%), 69 patients with allergic asthma (5.5%), 14 patients with allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (1.1%) and 79 patients with both allergic rhinitis and asthma (6.3%) with an overall male to female ratio of 1.18. Rhinorrhea (86.3%), sneezing (81.1%) and itchy eyes (68.4%) were the most common symptoms in patients with respiratory allergic disorders in this study and the highest rate of sensitivity was to pollens including Salsola kali (82.3%), pigweed mix (65.1%), tree mix (51.7%) and ash (49.8%), respectively.

Conclusion: Generally, Salsola kali seems to be the main allergen in different respiratory allergies including allergic rhinitis, asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis in semi-arid climate of Mashhad, Iran.

Keywords: Allergens; Asthma; Respiratory allergies; Rhinitis; Rhinoconjunctivitis.