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Biomedical subjects

S P Squillace

Publications and source records attributed to S P Squillace.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Association of sensitization to Alternaria allergens with asthma among school-age children.

BACKGROUND: Molds in the Alternaria genus, normally found on outdoor vegetation, produce some of the most common fungal allergens to elicit a skin test response. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to evaluate a serum assay for IgE antibodies to Alternaria allergens and to establish the prevalence of sensitization to Alternaria allergens among children and adults enrolled in epidemiologic studies of asthma. In addition, the significance of sensitization to Alternaria allergens as a risk factor for asthma was compared with that of sensitization to indoor allergens or pollens. METHODS: Using the Pharmacia Capsulated Hydrophobic Carrier Polymer (CAP) system, we have evaluated the significance of Alternaria allergens by using sera from several epidemiologic studies of asthma. RESULTS: Comparisons between serum assays and skin test results suggest that this in vitro assay yields results similar to those for traditional RASTs and is as sensitive as skin prick testing. In each of the groups studied, sensitization to Alternaria allergens was more common among asthmatic than control subjects, and in two studies the relationship was highly significant. Alternaria allergens were significantly associated with asthma in middle schools in Charlottesville, Virginia and Los Alamos, New Mexico but not in Albemarle County, Virginia. Logistic regression analysis of the results for the three schools identified an association between sensitization to Alternaria allergens and asthma independent of, but not as strong as, that found between sensitization to indoor allergens and asthma (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The Pharmacia CAP system is a useful tool for measuring specific IgE to Alternaria allergens. Although not as important as sensitization to dominant local indoor allergens, sensitization to Alternaria allergens appears to be a significant independent risk factor for asthma in children in some locations of the United States.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Sensitization to dust mites as a dominant risk factor for asthma among adolescents living in central Virginia. Multiple regression analysis of a population-based study.

Factors influencing asthma were investigated in a population of school children in central Virginia. A survey of 1,054 children in two middle schools (one urban and one suburban) identified 135 students with symptoms suggestive of asthma. Eighty-eight symptomatic children and 123 control subjects were randomly selected for further evaluation by skin testing using common indoor and outdoor allergens; serum assays for total IgE and specific IgE; dust samples assayed for mite (Der p 1 Der f 1), cat (Fel d 1), and cockroach (Bla g 2) allergens; and provocation with histamine to test for bronchial hyperreactivity. Forty-eight of the children with symptoms responded to < or = 3.9 mumol of histamine and were considered to have asthma. Marginal analysis identified elevated total IgE and dust mite, cat, and cockroach sensitization as significant risk factors for asthma. Using multiple regression, only dust mite sensitization was independently associated with asthma (odds ratio = 6.6; p < 0.0001). Dust from 81% of the houses contained high levels of mite allergen (> 2 micrograms/g), while approximately 40% of the children were exposed to cat and 17% were exposed to cockroach allergen. In this population, there was no significant association between asthma and race, socioeconomic status, home smoking, sensitization to outdoor allergens, or allergen concentration in the child's home. In an area where there is a high prevalence of asthma and most houses contain high concentrations of dust mite allergen, sensitization to this allergen is the dominant risk factor for asthma defined as symptomatic bronchial hyperreactivity

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Environmental control.

Environmental control measures help eliminate triggers that initiate the allergic reaction and reduce the conditions that sustain it. The most frequent offenders are the ubiquitous dust mites, which are ideally suited to living in the home environment. Control measures consist of minimizing their reservoirs in the patient's bedding, carpets, and upholstered furniture; decreasing humidity; and using acaricides. Cats are the source of another important indoor allergen that becomes and stays airborne as small particles. Removal of the animal (or washing it weekly) and the use of high-efficiency particulate air filters for air ducts and vacuum cleaners are useful in reducing dust mite and cat allergens. Dogs and rodents also produce allergens offensive to the sensitized patient and should be removed or relegated outdoors. Cockroaches have become an increasingly prevalent source of allergens responsible for asthma and rhinitis. Their removal is the focus of research, because current control measures are usually inadequate. Molds, which thrive in any moist environment, produce allergens. Closed windows prevent further influx of outdoor molds and pollens, whereas those harbored indoors, including those residing on plants, should be eliminated.

Allergens↗