Haze facilitates sensitization to house dust mites in children

Abstract

Allergy to house dust mites (HDMs) can cause allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma and allergic skin disorders, which is becoming an enormous worldwide health and economic burden. To explore the relationship between air pollution and HDMs sensitization in children, this study used immunoblotting to determine the concentration of HDM serum-specific IgE (sIgE) in children with allergic diseases in Hangzhou. HDM sIgE was used to reflect the sensitization of children with HDMs. Using the meteorological and atmospheric pollutant data for Hangzhou, a distributed lag nonlinear model was founded to evaluate the effect of atmospheric pollutants on HDMs sensitization. Particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and PM 10 were the main air pollutants in Hangzhou. The positive rate of HDM sIgE in children’s serum increased with increasing PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations, and this effect was most obvious on the seventh and tenth days after increased PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations, respectively. In addition, there was a significant positive correlation between the concentration of HDM sIgE and the total serum IgE concentration. The rate of sensitization to HDMs rose dramatically in the first 3\xa0years after birth. In addition, the period between June and November had the largest number of HDM sIgE-positive patients. Studies have shown that PM 2.5 and PM 10 are important factors in HDM sensitization, which presented obvious dose effects and lag effects. Children under the age of 3\xa0years were the most susceptible to HDMs, and the period from June to November had a high risk of dust mite exposure. Avoiding exposure to particulate matter may have benefits in preventing HDM sensitization in children.