Aeroallergen Sensitization in Healthy Children: Racial and Socioeconomic Correlates

Objective

Allergic sensitization is very prevalent and often precedes the development of allergic disease. This study examined the association of race with allergic sensitization among healthy children with no family history of atopy.

Study design

Two hundred seventy-five children, predominantly from lower socioeconomic strata, from Cincinnati, Ohio, ages 2 to 18 years without a family or personal history of allergic diseases, underwent skin prick testing to 11 allergen panels. The Pediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PADQLQ) was used to examine the impact of sensitization on quality of life.

Results

Thirty-nine percent of healthy children were sensitized to 1 or more allergen panels. Multivariate logistic regression showed increased risk among African-American children for any sensitization (OR, 2.17; [95% CI: 1.23, 3.84]) and sensitization to any outdoor allergen (OR, 2.96 [95% CI: 1.52, 5.74]). Eighty-six percent of children had PADQLQ scores of 1 or less (0 to 6 scale).

Conclusions

Allergic sensitization is prevalent even among children who do not have a personal or family history of asthma, allergic rhinitis, or atopic dermatitis and who have no evidence of current, even subtle effects from this sensitization on allergic disease–related quality of life. African-American children are at greater risk for presence of sensitization, especially to outdoor allergens.

Abbreviations: PADQLQ, Pediatric Allergic Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire