AGE AT SYMPTOM ONSET AND DISTRIBUTION BY SEX AND SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTSSENSITIZED TO DIFFERENT ALLERGENS

The aim of our study was to analyze the clinical features, particularl y the age at symptom onset, of allergic subjects (asthma and/or rhinit is) on the basis of the etiologic elements (sensitization to various a llergens). We identified a group of monosensitized patients and a grou p of polysensitized patients. Within these groups, we identified subgr oups of subjects monosensitized to one of the five main allergenic mix es (mites, Gramineae, trees, Parietaria, and Artemisia) and five subgr oups of patients sensitized nonexclusively, that is, polysensitized, t o the same allergens. The comparison between the two groups and among the various subgroups enabled us to conclude that: 1) mono- and polyse nsitized patients present some clinical features so different as to co nstitute two clearly distinct clinical groups 2) analysis of the clini cal features associated with the sensitization to a specific allergen brings us to significantly different conclusions when we consider subg roups of monosensitized or polysensitized patients 3) the parameter '' age at symptom onset'' shows great heterogeneity among both the mono- and the polysensitized subgroups - in particular, the great difference s in mean age among the monosensitized subgroups (trees > Artemisia > Parietaria > Gramineae > mites) appear very interesting and are open t o various interpretative hypotheses 4) unlike the polysensitized group , in the monosensitized group and subgroups, mean age is similar betwe en men and women and, only for tree- and Parietaria-monosensitive pati ents, also between asthmatic and rhinitic subjects.