Allergy in the West Indies - abstract

ABSTRACT

Allergy-related illnesses (respiratory, food and others) occur frequently in West Indians. A prospective study of 1038 Jamaican adolescents revealed high levels (males 52 percent, females 41 percent) of allergy prevalence. The respiratory allergies were the most common; 21 percent of the allergic subjects gave a history of bronchial asthma. Only 19 percent of the latter group had their illness diagnosed by a doctor. A retrospective study of 512 patients in a local allergy practice showed that respiratory allergies usually occurred perenially, and the patients' skin tested positive to house dust mite, moulds and pollens. Immunotherapy was effective if very dilute dosages were used. Laboratory investigations of allergic and non-allergic medical students and technologists at the University of the West Indies revealed normal total serum IgE levels (0-380 kU/L) in 18 of 24 subjects and only moderately elevated levels in the remaining 6 subjects. Total serum IgG4 was unexpectedly found to be increased in most of the study subjects (18 of 24). Further studies are necessary to further clarify these findings (AU)