Is sensitization to Alternaria alternata a risk factor for severe asthma? A population-based study

• Published in: Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol. 103; no. 4; pp. 709 - 711
• Main Authors: Neukirch, Catherine, Henry, Christine, Leynaert, Bénédicte, Liard, Renata, Bousquet, Jean, Neukirch, Françoise
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01-04-1999; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; Allergens - immunology; Allergic diseases; Alternaria - immunology; Alternaria alternata; Asthma - etiology; Asthma - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; European Union; Female; Health Surveys; Humans; Immunopathology; Male; Medical sciences; Respiratory and ent allergic diseases; Risk Factors; Skin Tests; Human; Immunopathology; Allergy; Respiratory disease; Alternaria alternata; Asthma; Fungi; Etiology; Risk factor; Aeroallergen; Obstructive pulmonary disease; Fungi Imperfecti; Thallophyta; Allergen
• ISSN: 0091-6749; 1097-6825
• DOI: 10.1016/S0091-6749(99)70247-2

Seasonal differences in asthma mortality and hospital admission rates, with high levels of asthma in autumn, have been described in several countries. It has been suggested that fungal spores may be involved in such seasonal variations. In a study of the effect of environmental molds on the risk of death from asthma during the pollen season, mean mold spore levels, but not tree, grass, or ragweed pollen levels, were significantly higher on the days when asthma-related deaths occurred than on the days when no deaths occurred. In a study of 11 patients with episodes of respiratory arrest, 10 (91%) had positive skin prick test responses for Alternaria alternata, whereas that proportion was only 31% for the 99 matched control subjects with asthma and no history of respiratory arrest. Thus sensitization to molds, and especially to A alternata, may be involved in severe exacerbations of asthma in children and young adults. It is not known whether sensitization to A alternata is related to severe asthma, apart from life-threatening exacerbations. The aim of this study was to assess whether sensitization to A alternata was associated with asthma severity in a population of young adults.