ABSTRACT
Purpose: To investigate the patterns of allergens in allergic conjunctivitis (AC) and the association with allergic comorbidity. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study enrolled 2972 children with AC. Clinical data, including sex, age, allergic comorbidities (allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis), and serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE), were collected from the electronic medical record (EMR). The categorical variables were compared with the chi-square test. The characteristics of allergens in children of different ages and comorbidities were analyzed by trend chi-square. The sensitivity level of HDM associated with AC and comorbidities was assessed by odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals of logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 2972 children (2015 boys and 957 girls) with AC were included in the study. The mean age was 3.78 (0.5~12) years. The most common allergen was house dust mite(HDM) (43.41%). With age, the positive rate for inhaled allergens gradually increased, and the positive rate for ingested allergens decreased. With the number of comorbidities increasing, the positive rates of sensitization were 38.33%, 74.51%, 80.72%, and 89.05%, and the incidence of polysensitization was 44.66%, 56.48%, 59.54%, and 74.59%, respectively. With the increase of HDM-sIgE level, the number of comorbidities and the risk increased gradually. Conclusion: HDM is the most common allergen in AC children of different ages. High levels of HDM-sIgE may be a predictor for allergic comorbidities. Children with polysensitization and high levels of HDM sIgE will be an important target population for future intervention in other allergy-related disease prevention.
ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of Omalizumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe allergic asthma with allergic comorbidities in children.Methods:The clinical data of 50 children with moderate-to-severe allergic asthma and allergic comorbidities, who were treated with Omalizumab and completed 12-month follow-up in the Department of Pediatrics of Peking University First Hospital from July 2018 to March 2022, were retrospectively analyzed.A comparison was performed on the scale scores of childhood allergic asthma and allergic comorbidities including allergic rhinitis (AR) and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), pulmonary function test indices and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) concentration before and after treating with Omalizumab.The data were compared by ANOVA, paired t-test, chi- square test and rank sum test. Results:(1)Improvement of clinical symptoms: after 12 months of Omalizumab treatment, the childhood asthma control test score of 42 children aged ≤11 years increased from (20.98±5.03) points to (26.95±0.22) points ( F=18.189, P<0.001). The asthma control questionnaire 7 score of 50 children decreased from (0.89±0.11) points to (0.10±0.02) points ( F=5.662, P=0.006). The score of visual analogue scale of 47 children with AR decreased from (11.00±1.65) points to (0.2±0.14) points ( F=14.901, P<0.001), and the urticaria control test score of 13 children with CSU decreased from (4.82±0.88) points to (1.87±0.61) points ( F=4.329, P=0.018). (2)Improvement of quality of life: compared with those before treatment, the pediatric asthma quality of life questionnaire score in 50 children increased from (124.50±32.13) points to (159.40±6.21) points ( F=12.052, P<0.001), and global evaluation of asthma treatment effectiveness decreased from (2.23±0.70) points to (1.07±0.26) points ( F=68.865, P<0.001) after Omalizumab treatment for 12 months.(3)Improvement of pulmonary function results: after 12 months of Omalizumab treatment, the number of children with forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity< 80% decreased from 13 cases (26%) to 1 case (2%), and the values increased from (91.39±12.88)% to (96.96±8.54)%( χ2=11.960; t=2.486, all P<0.05). The peak expiratory flow of predicted value increased from (86.73±16.05)% to (94.01±13.11)% ( t=2.445, P<0.05). The number of children with two indicators among the forced expiratory flow at 50% of forced vital capacity exhaled, forced expiratory flow at 75% of forced vital capacity exhaled and maximal mid-expiratory flow lower than 65% decreased from 31 cases (62%) to 7 cases (14%) ( χ2=24.450, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in FeNO concentration before and after treatment ( P>0.05). Safety of Omalizumab: no obvious adverse reactions were found during treatment and follow-up. Conclusions:Omalizumab can significantly improve the clinical symptoms, small airway function and quality of life of children with allergic asthma and concomitant AR or CSU.It is a potential targeted drug for treating a variety of allergic diseases in children.