Analysis of allergen distribution characteristics and influencing factors in children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis in Chengdu
Objective To investigate the distribution of allergens in children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis in Chengdu,as well as to analyze the influencing factors.Methods A convenient sampling method was used to select chil-dren and adolescents with allergic rhinitis treated in 6 hospitals in Chengdu(4 tertiary comprehensive hospitals,1 tertiary traditional Chinese medicine hospital,and 1 tertiary comprehensive hospital)from January to December 2023 as the rhini-tis group.Non-allergic rhinitis children and adolescents who visited during the same period were selected as the control group.Serum specific IgE testing was performed on patients in the rhinitis group,and a self-made questionnaire was used to conduct a survey on both groups.Descriptive analysis was used to analyze the distribution of allergens,while univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to analyze the influencing factors of allergic rhinitis in children and adolescents.Results After testing,1 240(91.45%)children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis in Chengdu tested positive for inha-lation allergens,and 602(44.40%)tested positive for food allergens.The top three inhalation allergens were dust mites/house dust mites,house dust,and elm/willow/poplar pollen.The top three food allergens were crab/shrimp/scallop,freshwa-ter fish,and mango/pineapple.The positivity rate of allergens varied among different age groups of children and adoles-cents.In those under 13 years old,dust mites/house dust mites accounted for a higher proportion of inhalation allergens;whereas crab/shrimp/scallop accounted for a higher proportion of food allergens.Among adolescents aged 14-17 years old,dust mites/house dust mites accounted for a higher proportion of inhalation allergens;meanwhile,mango/pineapple ac-counted for a higher proportion of food allergens.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that urban residence(OR=1.676),dietary habits dominated by meat(OR=2.122),smoking/passive smoking(OR=1.835),outdoor activity time<1 h/d(OR=1.879),bronchial asthma(OR=4.282),adenoid hypertrophy(OR=9.465),previous allergy history(OR=1.929),and parental allergic rhinitis(OR=2.465)were the influencing factors for allergic rhinitis in children and adolescents in Chengdu.Conclusions The allergens in children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis in Chengdu are mainly inhalation allergens.Urban residence,dietary habits dominated by meat,smoking/passive smoking,outdoor activity time<1 h/d,bron-chial asthma,adenoid hypertrophy,previous allergy history,and parental allergic rhinitis are the influencing factors for al-lergic rhinitis in children and adolescents in Chengdu.