Study of Allergenicity Spectrum to Aero Allergens by Skin Prick Testing

Background: Respiratory allergies are the most important public health issues in the world. Allergic diseases such as bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis are dramatically increasing all over the world including developing countries like India. They are caused by aeroallergens which play great role in pathogenesis of respiratory allergic diseases. Aim: To study the skin sensitivity to various allergens by skin prick test in 102 randomly selected patients of nasobronchial allergy (allergic rhinitis) among patients attending Allergy & Asthma Clinic at Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata, India in the rainy season of 2013. Methods: The current study was conducted to evaluate the pattern of positive skin test for various aeroallergens among allergic patients in Kolkata, India. 102 participants with allergic rhinitis (seasonal or perennial) with or without asthma were selected. Skin prick test using seven common allergen extracts was performed on all patients. Results: The overall frequency of sensitization to any allergen was 100%. Overall the most common allergen was found to House dust (86.27%). The second most prevalent allergen was Azadirachta indica (55.68%), followed by Peltophorum pterocarpum (44.11%). No differences between genders were seen but slight decrease in positive reaction to mites with growing ages. Conclusion: The results of the study revealed that prevalence of the skin prick reactivity to house dust and Azadirachta indica are significant in Kolkata and multiple sensitizations were common.