Abstract
Background: Sensitization to cat and/or dog allergens during childhood represents a risk factor for the development of allergic diseases later in life.Material and Methods: The study investigated the association of patterns of sensitization to cat and dog allergen components with clinical symptoms of allergy to these furry animals among cat-sensitized children. It included 50 children aged 5-17 years who showed sensitization to cat in the skin prick test. They were considered to have cat allergy if they suffered from one or more allergy symptoms when being exposed to contact with a cat. The children were evaluated for the presence of bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis. Their mothers completed a questionnaire on pet exposure at home. Levels of serum IgE cat epitopes Fel d (1, 2, 4), as well as dog components Can f (1, 2, 3, 5) were measured in all the studied children.Results: Respiratory symptoms following exposure to the cat allergen were most common in children with Fel d 2 epitope (p = 0.041). After contact with a dog, respiratory symptoms were most common in children with Can f 1 epitope (p = 0.042), eczema in children with sensitization to both Can f 1 (p = 0.009) and Can f 2 (p = 0.002), whereas eye symptoms occurred mostly in children with Can f 3 (p = 0.039).Conclusions: Molecular diagnosis in patients with pet allergy may help clinicians to predict clinical symptoms and their severity.
Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy with Monomeric Allergoid in a Mouse Model of Atopic Dermatitis
