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Background
The Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus molecule Der p 23 is a major allergen whose clinical relevance has been shown in cross‐sectional studies. We longitudinally analysed the trajectory of Der p 23‐specific IgE antibody (sIgE) levels throughout childhood and youth, their early‐life determinants and their clinical relevance for allergic rhinitis and asthma.
Methods
We obtained sera and clinical data of 191 participants of the German Multicentre Allergy Study, a prospective birth cohort. Serum samples from birth to 20 years of age with sIgE reactivity to Der p 23 in a customised semiquantitative microarray were newly analysed with a singleplex quantitative assay. Early mite exposure was assessed by measuring the average content of Der p 1 in house dust at 6 and 18 months.
Results
Der p 23‐sIgE levels were detected at least once in 97/191 participants (51%). Prevalence of Der p 23 sensitisation and mean sIgE levels increased until age 10 years, plateaued until age 13 years and were lowest at age 20 years. Asthma, allergic rhinitis (AR) and atopic dermatitis (AD) were more prevalent in Der p 23‐sensitised children, including those with monomolecular but persistent sensitisation (11/97, 11%). A higher exposure to mites in infancy and occurrence of AD before 5 years of age preceded the onset of Der p 23 sensitisation, which in turn preceded a higher incidence of asthma.
Conclusions
Der p 23 sensitisation peaks in late childhood and then decreases. It is preceded by early mite exposure and AD. Asthma and AR can occur in patients persistently sensitised to Der p 23 as the only mite allergen, suggesting the inclusion of molecular testing of Der p 23‐sIgE for subjects with clinical suspicion of HDM allergy but without sIgE to other major D.pt. allergens.
Individuals with chronic conditions have been faced with many additional challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual health literacy (HL) as the ability to access, understand, evaluate, and apply pandemic-related information has thus become ever more important in these populations. The purpose of this study was to develop and content-validate a comprehensive HL survey instrument for people with asthma based on an integrated framework, and on previous surveys and other instruments for use in the general population and vulnerable groups. Beside HL, assumed determinants, mediators, and health outcomes were embraced in the framework. A mixed-method design was used. A comprehensive examination of the available literature yielded an initial pool of 398 single items within 20 categories. Based on content validity indices (CVI) of expert ratings (n = 11) and the content analysis of cognitive interviews with participants (n = 9), the item pool was reduced, and individual items/scales refined or modified. The instrument showed appropriate comprehensibility (98.0%), was judged relevant, and had an acceptable CVI at scale level (S-CVI/Ave = 0.91). The final version comprises 14 categories measured by 38 questions consisting of 116 single items. In terms of content, the instrument appears a valid representation of behavioural and psychosocial constructs pertaining to a broad HL understanding and relevant to individuals with asthma during the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular monitoring of these behavioural and psychosocial constructs during the course of the pandemic can help identify needs as well as changes during the course of the pandemic, which is particularly important in chronic disease populations.
Background
The new subgroup screening tool “subscreen” aims to understand the unclear and complex association between socioeconomic status (SES) and childhood allergy. This software R package has been successfully used in clinical trials but not in large population-based studies.
Objective
To screen and identify subgrouping factors explaining their impact on the association between SES and respiratory allergies in childhood and youth.
Methods
Using the national German childhood and youth survey dataset (KiGGS Wave 2), we included 56 suspected subgrouping factors to investigate the association between SES (low vs. high) and allergic rhinitis and/or asthma in an exploratory manner. The package enabled a comprehensive overview of odds ratios when considering the SES impact per subgroup and analogously all disease proportions per subgroup.
Result
Among the 56 candidate factors, striking subgrouping factors were identified; e.g., if mothers were younger and in the low SES group, their children had a higher risk of asthma. In addition children of the teen’s age were associated with increased risks in the low SES group. For the crude proportions, factors such as (parental) smoking or having had no “contact with farm animals” were identified as strong risk factors for rhinitis.
Significance
The “subscreen” package enabled the detection of notable subgroups for further investigations exemplarily for similar epidemiological research questions.