Your new experience awaits. Try the new design now and help us make it even better

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Allergy

Sec. Allergens

Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/falgy.2025.1616730

This article is part of the Research TopicAllergens and allergic sensitization in Asia and the Tropic - Volume IIView all articles

Sensitization to inhaled and food allergen sources in patients with allergic diseases in eastern China

Provisionally accepted
Zhibang  HuZhibang Hu1,2Chunhui  WangChunhui Wang1Jianrong  XueJianrong Xue1Shiyu  YangShiyu Yang1Yongzheng  BaoYongzheng Bao1Yunhui  WuYunhui Wu2Xiaoju  HouXiaoju Hou2Yishake  KaiseerYishake Kaiseer2Jing  MaJing Ma1*
  • 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Changzhou Third People's Hospital, Changzhou, China
  • 2Department of Eye and ENT, The People’s Hospital of Wuqia, Xinjiang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background: Allergen exposure plays a critical role in the onset of allergic disease, and the distribution of allergens varies by geographic location, climate, and lifestyle.Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 4,149 patients with clinically suspected allergic diseases who sought medical care at Changzhou Third People’s Hospital. The total IgE and specific IgE(sIgE) levels for 19 inhaled and food allergen sources were assessed using the Mediwiss AllergyScreen system. The sensitization patterns to various allergen sources were delineated based on sex and age categories.Results: A total of 2491 (60.04%) patients were positive for sIgE to at least one allergen source. Specifically, 997(40.02%) patients were positive for one allergen source, while 1,494(59.98%) were positive for two or more allergen sources. The sensitization rate for inhaled allergen sources was 49.41%(2,050), which was significantly higher than that for food allergen sources at 36.61%(1,519) (p < 0.05). The most commonly inhaled allergen source was D. pteronyssinus(37.58%, 1559/4149), followed by mold mix(13.11%, 544/4149) and house dust(9.11%, 378/4149). Among food allergen sources, the most prevalent reactions were cashew nut(15.57%, 646/4149), cow’s milk(10.99%, 456/4149), and egg(9.33%, 387/4149). The majority of sIgE levels were concentrated in the lower grades(grade I to III), while eight cases of crab and six cases of shrimp allergen sources presented at the highest responses(grade IV). Males exhibited significantly higher sIgE-positive rates for both inhaled and food allergen sources than females(p < 0.05). Additionally, the sIgE-positive rates for most inhaled and food allergen sources displayed significant variations across different age groups(p < 0.05). The highest sIgE-positive rate for inhaled allergen sources was observed in the 16–20-year group, and the positive rates of sIgE for food allergen sources decreased with advancing age. The levels of total serum IgE also varied among different age groups, with 2,631(63.41%) individuals belonging to the high-concentration group. Total serum IgE exhibited an upward trend until the age of 11–15 years, which was then followed by a steady decrease. Conclusion: The results revealed the sensitization characteristics of allergen sources in eastern China, providing valuable insights into the prevention, diagnosis, and management of allergic diseases in this region.

Keywords: Allergen sources, Inhaled, Food, allergic diseases, specific IgE, eastern China

Received: 23 Apr 2025; Accepted: 05 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Hu, Wang, Xue, Yang, Bao, Wu, Hou, Kaiseer and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Jing Ma, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Changzhou Third People's Hospital, Changzhou, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.