Allergen sensitization patterns concerning different governorates in Egypt: a retrospective study

Background
Allergic disorders afflict 22% of the world’s population. Treatment and prevention of allergic diseases are dependent on correctly identifying the causal allergens and implementing appropriate avoidance approaches. We aimed to assess the variation in patterns of allergen sensitization among patients with allergic disorders in different Egyptian governorates.


Methods
This retrospective study included patients with allergic disorders attending an allergen immunotherapy outpatient clinic. Demographic data, diagnosis of allergic disorders, and skin prick test results of enrolled patients were retrieved from the medical records. Also, patients’ place of residence was recorded by the governorate.


Results
This study included 5024 patients with allergic disorders.
Most of the studied patients were sensitized to mold (94.3%) followed by house dust mites (74.7%) and hay dust (69%). There was no statistical difference in allergen sensitization patterns in different Egyptian governorates. However, there was a statistically significant relation between allergic rhinitis and mixed pollen 1 (P value 0.02) and mite (P value 0.001). For bronchial asthma, both dog hair and chicken feather sensitization patterns showed a strong association with P values 0.02 and 0.03, respectively. Atopic dermatitis had a significant association with both mites (P value 0.001) and barely (P value 0.02).


Conclusion
The sensitization patterns did not significantly differ between the Egyptian governorates. However, it is significantly associated with allergic disorders. The most prevalent sensitization pattern in Egypt was mold.