Dissociation between the prevalence of atopy and allergic disease in rural China among children and adults

• Published in: Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol. 122; no. 5; pp. 929 - 935.e4
• Main Authors: Kim, Jennifer S., MD, Ouyang, Fengxiu, MD, PhD, Pongracic, Jacqueline A., MD, Fang, Yaping, MD, Wang, Binyan, MD, PhD, Liu, Xue, MD, Xing, Houxun, MD, Caruso, Deanna, MS, Liu, Xin, MD, PhD, Zhang, Shanchun, MD, PhD, Xu, Xiping, MD, PhD, Wang, Xiaobin, MD, ScD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01-11-2008; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aeroallergens; Age; Aged; Agreements; Allergies; Allergy and Immunology; Arachis hypogaea; Asthma; Biological and medical sciences; Child; China - epidemiology; Chinese; Dermatophagoides; Disease; Diseases in Twins - epidemiology; Eczema; farming community; Female; Food; food allergens; Food allergies; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Humans; Hypersensitivity - diagnosis; Hypersensitivity - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Population; Prevalence; Questionnaires; rural; Rural areas; Rural Population; Sarcoidosis. Granulomatous diseases of unproved etiology. Connective tissue diseases. Elastic tissue diseases. Vasculitis; sensitization; Shellfish; skin prick tests; Skin Tests; Urban areas; Urbanization; Young Adult; Asia; China; Hong Kong; Beijing China; Food allergy; AD; rural; skin prick tests; Skin prick test; MZ; prevalence; AR; ISAAC; farming community; Atopic dermatitis; Allergic rhinitis; DZ; SPT; International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood; Aeroallergens; food allergens; Chinese; Dizygotic; Monozygotic; sensitization; FA; Allergy; Prick test; Prevalence; Epidemiology; Atopy; Immunology; Adult; Sensitization; Child; Skin test; Human; Immunopathology; Food allergen; Rural environment; Exploration; Aeroallergen; Community; Allergen; Farming
• ISSN: 0091-6749; 1097-6825
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2008.08.009

Background The prevalence of allergic diseases is increasing worldwide, but the reasons are not well understood. Previous studies suggest that this trend might be associated with lifestyle and urbanization. Objective We sought to describe patterns of sensitization and allergic disease in an unselected agricultural Chinese population. Methods The data were derived from a community-based twin study in Anqing, China. Skin prick tests were performed to foods and aeroallergens. Atopy was defined as sensitization to 1 or more allergens. Allergic disease was ascertained by means of self-report. The analysis was stratified by sex and age (children [11-17 years] and adults [≥18 years]) and included 1059 same-sex twin pairs. Results Of 2118 subjects, 57.6% were male (n = 1220). Ages ranged from 11 to 71 years, and 43.3% were children (n = 918). Atopy was observed in 47.2% (n = 999) of participants. The most common sensitizing foods were shellfish (16.7%) and peanut (12.3%). The most common sensitizing aeroallergens were dust mite (30.6%) and cockroach (25.2%). Birth order and zygosity had no effect on sensitization rates. Multivariate logistic regression models revealed that risk factors for sensitization include age for foods and sex for aeroallergens. The rates of food allergy and asthma were estimated to be less than 1%. Conclusions Atopic sensitization was common in this rural farming Chinese population, particularly to shellfish, peanut, dust mite, and cockroach. The prevalence of allergic disease, in contrast, was quite low.