THE ALLERGEN SPECTRUM IN TURKEY AND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ALLERGENS AND AGE, SEX, BIRTH MONTH, BIRTHPLACE, BLOOD-GROUPS AND FAMILY HISTORY OF ATOPY

This study was performed retrospectively on 2,342 patients who were tr eated in the allergy department from 1985 to 1996. All patients had be en skin prick tested with 40 common aeroallergens in Turkey Allergen i mmunotherapy was given to 1,455 of them. Mean age of the patients was 25.9 (range 5 to 69). Fifty-five percent were males and 45.1% females. Forty percent had bronchial asthma and 60.2% had allergic rhinitis. F ifty-five percent of them had a family history of atopy. Sensitization to pollens was 59.7%, to house dust 20.5%, to molds 2%, to pollens an d molds 2.9%, to pollens and house dust 11.5%, to molds and house dust 1.4%, and to pollens, molds and house dust 2%. The grass pollen sensi tivity was threefold more common than that for trees. and fourfold mor e common than that for weed pollens. The diagnosis of bronchial asthma in the 5 to 9 age group was higher than in the other age groups (p <0 .005). The mold sensitization increased in parallel with age and A was the highest in 60 to 69 age group (p <0.0001). There was no relations hip between the allergens and sex, history of family atopy or blood gr oup (p >0.05) (except for house dust allergen). However; there was a r elationship between month of birth (p <0.005, p <0.05, respectively) a nd birthplace (p <0.001) with pollen and house dust allergen. House du st and molds were more common causes of bronchial asthma than pollens (p <0.001, p <0.01, respectively). In conclusion, the most common alle rgen was pollen in Turkey. In addition, atopic diseases are multifacto rial, including such factors as genes and environment Month and place of birth may influence early exposure and subsequent risk for allergy.