Prevalence of food and airborne allergens in allergic patients in Kerman

Detection of various environmental allergens is the major challenge in allergic diseases and the only treatment is avoiding these allergens. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of food and airborne allergens in allergic patients using Skin Prick Test (SPT). A cross-sectional study was done on clinically confirmed patients of atopic-dermatitis (n=54), allergenic-rhinitis (n=64) and chronic-urticaria (n=39) who referred to asthma and allergy clinic at Afzali-Pour hospital in Kerman during 2008-2010. Skin prick test was done using allergen extracts to determine the patient's sensitivity to food and airborne antigens. Fifty-nine percent of patients responded to at least one allergen. Allergy to airborne and food allergens was 55.9 % and 21.7%, respectively. Chenopodiaceae (22.9%) and egg white (10.2%) were most prevalent airborne and food allergens. Allergy to cockroach, egg white, egg yolk and tomato was significantly higher in males than in females (P<0.05). The results indicated that allergy to food and airborne allergens is different depending on the nutrition and environmental conditions.