Skin prick test for allergic disease in Beijing

Objective To provide references for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of allergic diseases in Beijing area by studying its common allergens. Methods A total of 552 cases diagnosed with allergic diseases underwent skin prick test with 38 standardized allergens and the positive rate of each allergen were assessed. Results Of the 552 tested cases, 344 cases were positive to at least one kind of allergen and the total positive rate was 62.32%. The results of skin prick test demonstrated that the most common allergens were dermatophagoides farinae, dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and weeds, whose positive rates were 21.38%, 20.29% and 18.84%, respectively. The positive rate of inhalant allergens(43.66%) was higher than that of food ones(31.52%), which was of statistical significance(χ2=17.33, P 0.01). The allergen positive rate was 61.06%(287/470) in adults and 69.51%(57/82) in children with no statistical significance(χ2=2.01, P 0.05). Conclusion Allergic diseases are mainly aroused by inhalant allergens. Dermatophagoides farinae, dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and weeds are the most common allergens in Beijing area. Skin prick test is an important method for detecting allergens.