Individual Allergens as Risk Factors for Asthma and Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness in Guangzhou Schoolchildren

Objective To determine the relationship of sensitization to individual allergens, and the development of asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in schoolchildren from Guangzhou.Methods Community-based random samples of 10-yr-old schoolchildren fromGuangzhou were recruited for study using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase II protocol. Subjects were studied by parental questionnaires (n=3565), skin-prick tests (n=1094), and methacholine challenge tests (n=177). Results The prevalence rate of current wheeze 、atopy were 3.4% and 30.8%. The most common allergens were D.pteronyssinus and D.farinae,then cockroach and cat. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that sensitization to D.pteronyssinus and D.farinae were significantly associated with current wheeze and BHR. Cat was another risk factor for current wheeze. Whereas,atopy ,defined as having≥1 positive skin prick tests ,was not an independent risk factor for current wheeze and BHR. Cockroach was not associated with current wheeze and BHR,either. Conclusions Atopy is not an independent risk factor for the development of asthm.However,dust mite is still one of the important pathogeny for childhood asthma in Guangzhou.